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Origin and history

The guard corps of the Granville Pier is a military building built in the 18th century, integrated into a coastal surveillance network initiated by Vauban in the late 17th century. These buildings were designed to protect the Normandy coasts, especially in Avranchin, where the engineer Ricard was in charge of their construction in 1699. In 1705, thirteen captainies, each of which included a thousand men, supervised seventy guard corps along the coast. These structures were gradually disused after the removal of the captains in 1738 or 1778, according to the sources, and finally abandoned in 1815.

Granville's guard corps, located on the south wharf, includes a main building and adjoining latrines. He was listed as a historical monument on 17 April 1987 for his role in local military and architectural history. This monument illustrates the defensive organization of the coasts under the Ancien Régime, marked by rigorous surveillance of maritime access.

Coastal guard corps, such as Granville, were part of a broader territorial control strategy. Their construction responded to fears of invasions or smuggling, frequent in a region such as Normandy, exposed to maritime flows. Their decommissioning in the 19th century reflects the evolution of military needs and defence techniques, as well as post-revolutionary political changes.

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