The restoration of the keeps

The keep of Falaise castle have known two large periods of restoration. The first one was led by the architect Victor Ruprich-Robert, disciple of Eugène Viollet-le-duc, in the 19th century. The second one was also led by an architect of the “Monuments Historiques”, Bruno Decaris, in the 20th century. A third restoration programme is under way: the restoration of the upper war (which was ended in September 2004) and the restoration of the ramparts.
The two first interventions made on the keeps are of different natures:

The 19th century restoration:

The restoration campaign led by V. Ruprich-Robert from 1864 to 1911 has several objectives. The keeps are in a state of ruin and need first to be preserved from further decay.
Indeed, the eastern façade of the Great Keep has partly fallen down, the vaults of the chapel are destroyed, the roofs and floors of the two square keeps have disappeared, the Romanesque windows are very damaged, the top of the Talbot tower threatens to collapse… In order to preserve what remained, Ruprich-Robert undertakes the heavy work of clearing away the rubble of collapsed roofs and floors, and restoring the remaining parts of the structure. He also builds stone galleries along the walls at first floor level of the square keeps with the aim of restoring circulation within the buildings.
The work is considerable and will stretch over several decades but, due to lack of finances, he cannot carry out all the restoration work. However, he saves the keeps and makes them accessible to visitors.
The time and the Second World War heavily damage the monument again and, when a new campaign of restoration is planned in the beginning of the 1980s, the castle walls are in a sorry state.

The 20th century restoration:

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, the second programme of works, launched in 1986, lasted ten years. The town council of Falaise -owner of the place- is in charge of the project and, Bruno Decaris, chief architect of the “Monuments Historiques” leads the work.
The context linked to the renovation is different to that of a century ago; The general state of the keeps calls for a new restoration, but this time, the aim is to return as much of their identity as possible to the buildings by restoring their original functions, so that the visitors can understand them.The programme is ambitious, as it has to bring the castle (which holds one of the rare surviving examples of Anglo-Norman architecture in France) out of oblivion and to make it attractive to the public. In accordance with the Venice Charter proposed by the UNESCO in 1965, the architectural interventions, intended to replace the missing parts of the keeps, bring into play the use of modern techniques and materials. First and foremost, the visitors must not confuse the ancient architecture and the new restoration. The work is undertaken in several phases, the Talbot Tower is restored in 1986 and 1987, the roofing is set in place in 1992 and the main work on the square keeps is carried out in 1994 , the forebuilding is built during the last year of work, in 1996. It is the most audacious element of his work. The architect adopts the same restoration principles as previously and, considering the few traces at his disposition, he chooses to evoke the forebuilding without doing a “pseudo-medieval” reconstruction and by putting the accent on the defensive function of the original edifice.

The site of the Upper Ward

During the excavations in the upper ward which took place in 1996, the ditch separating this latter from the rest of the enclosure was cleared. The excavations conducted there allowed to rediscover its layout, along with the remains of the curtain wall that enclosed the ward.
An important element of the constructions of the 13th century was also brought to light:the base of the tower called “south tower” which, with the “Poterne” Tower, still partly visible, flanked the gatehouse built by Philippe II Auguste.
The restoration works, carried out by the current architect-in-chief of the “Monuments historiques”, Daniel Lefèvre, are the result of long archeological and documentary research and of a principle which is the one globally adopted on the site:
- when possible, reconstruction of certain parts in their original state (if the traces or the documents are sufficiently explicit).
- evocation of the missing or uncertain parts with materials or forms conspicuously different from those used at the origin.
For instance, the real height of the south tower and the layout of the line on which the curtain wall was attached would always be a matter of conjecture; so, these elements are represented with drystone walls set in metal cages. In the same way, because the original piers and shape of the ancient bridge connecting the upper and the lower ward over the ditch are not known, it was replaced by a suspended metal and wood footbridge. On the other hand, the original stonework of the east counterscarp was still very legible and therefore faithfully reconstructed.

The restoration of the ramparts

This last phase of renovation of the castle is not the less ambitious. Its goal is not only to restore the castle walls, but also to emphasize the defensive image of the site. Today, the south part of the lower ward is filled with ballast (6 meters high). It hides vestiges of medieval buildings and give a false idea of the real height of the inner side of the south wall, of which the top part only is visible from the enclosure. The ballast need therefore to be removed before restoring the towers and the wall of that part of the castle.
The preliminary survey and excavations have strengthened the project. The objective for the next six years will now be to realise this work.