Rue du Pont de Tournai

Gazing down Rue du Pont de Tournai, it’s hard to imagine the clamor of armorers’ workshops. Yet, in the 13th century, this street, then known as Rue de la Hamerie, likely echoed with the clang of hammers shaping helmets. Rue du Pont de Tournai connected Rue du Priez to the Porte de Fives, later replaced by the Porte de Tournai. The street’s name, officially adopted in 1793, points towards this gateway leading to the city of Tournai. Rue du Pont de Tournai wasn’t always a bustling commercial street. It once housed the Convent of the Dominican Sisters of l’Abbiette. Established in 1274 outside the city walls, the convent was destroyed in 1340 to bolster Lille’s defenses during the Hundred Years’ War. It found a new home on Rue de la Hamerie in 1344, even lending its name to the street until 1792. The convent stood where modern office buildings now rise, a testament to the ever-shifting landscape of Rue du Pont de Tournai. Another notable resident of Rue du Pont de Tournai was the governor of Lille. His residence, the Hôtel de Santes, stood near the present-day number 42. Today, Square Germaine Tillion occupies roughly the same space as the governor’s gardens. Imagine the scene in the 17th century. The Canal du Haut-Becquerel flowed along the street, its waters diverted from the Becquerel River. This canal, a vital part of Lille’s waterway system, curved behind the houses of the now-vanished Rue Mahieu, eventually skirting the governor’s gardens. The arrival of the Lille train station in the mid-19th century brought dramatic changes to Rue du Pont de Tournai. The construction required demolition of houses to create access to the station. Later, the station’s expansion and the creation of Place de la Gare consumed a portion of the street. The southern part of Rue du Pont de Tournai became part of the square, its buildings surviving until the devastating siege of 1914. The 20th century brought further transformations. The tramway line G, later replaced by line B, ran along Rue du Pont de Tournai. The street’s narrowness even necessitated single-track operation. The last tram rattled down the street in 1966, marking the end of an era. The subsequent urban renewal of the Saint-Sauveur district, while controversial, swept away many dilapidated 18th-century houses, making way for the modern Rue du Pont de Tournai we see today. Despite the dramatic changes over the centuries, Rue du Pont de Tournai retains its original path and width, a quiet echo of its storied past.