La Gorgue | |
|---|---|
 TheLawe river in La Gorgue | |
_Nord-France.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of La Gorgue | |
  La Gorgue  La Gorgue | |
| Coordinates:50°38′16″N2°43′03″E / 50.6378°N 2.7175°E /50.6378; 2.7175 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Dunkerque |
| Canton | Hazebrouck |
| Intercommunality | Flandre Lys |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Philippe Mahieu[1] |
Area 1 | 15.03 km2 (5.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 5,553 |
| • Density | 369.5/km2 (956.9/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Gorguillons, Gorguillonnes |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59268 /59253 |
| Elevation | 12–19 m (39–62 ft) (avg. 16 m or 52 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
La Gorgue (French pronunciation:[laɡɔʁɡ]) is a town in northern France. It is acommune in theNord department.[3] The population of La Gorgue in 2019 was 5,639.[4]
It was the location of the Beaupré-sur-la-Lys Abbey, founded in 1221, whose grounds were used as aRoyal Flying Corps base duringWorld War I.
Beaupré-sur-la-Lys Abbey [fr] is in La Gorgue. Themonastery was founded in 1221 by two lords ofBéthune, one of whom, Robert, was a constable ofKing John. After joining theCistercian Order some years later, Beaupré and its community of nearly 40nuns continued to live undisturbedFrench Revolution in 1789, when it was dismantled.[5]
Laterarchaeological excavations revealed parts of the monastery, and much of this is now on exhibition in La Gorgue, includingtombstones, decoratedpaving, coins and variousarchaeological artefacts.[5]
DuringWorld War I, Beaupré farmland was used by theRoyal Air Force as anaerodrome and was home to manysquadrons, includingNo. 16 squadron underHugh Dowding andNo. 8 (Naval) Squadron, which became No. 208 Squadron RAF.[5] From 12 May to 6 July 1917, No. 46 Squadron was based there.[6] From 19 August to 5 October 1917,No. 35 Squadron was based at La Gorgue.[7] Other squadrons based at La Gorgue at different times during the course of the war wereNo.5,No.15,No. 42 andNo. 43.[8]
In September 2018, the town hosted an exhibition and a ceremony attended by family members of pilots who had served at the aerodrome during the Great War, organised by Serge Comini.[9]
La Gorgue is near the location of the Pont du Hem Military Cemetery.[10]
La Gorgue lies on to the south of the riverLys, straddling its tributary theLawe. The town is located about 33 kilometres (21 mi) west of Lille by road.[11]
It is acommune in theNord department, which lies within theregion ofHauts-de-France, and the capital city of both thedepartment and region isLille. La Gorge lies within thearrondissement ofDunkerque, and thecanton ofHazebrouck.[3]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 4,104 | — |
| 1975 | 4,168 | +0.22% |
| 1982 | 4,602 | +1.43% |
| 1990 | 5,028 | +1.11% |
| 1999 | 5,215 | +0.41% |
| 2007 | 5,807 | +1.35% |
| 2012 | 5,923 | +0.40% |
| 2017 | 5,635 | −0.99% |
| Source: INSEE[12] | ||
| The arms of La Gorgue areblazoned : Azure semy of escallops Or, on a chief argent, a demi-lion issuant from the line of division sable. |
