Stèle Louis Blériot

Facing England, Calais XXL is a land of exploits. The diverse and varied crossings between France and Great Britain were numerous. One of the most famous is that of Louis Blériot, author of the first crossing of the Channel by plane. His memory is so present that a stele is erected...in a town that bears his name!     

Louis Blériot was an aviation pioneer. He will forever remain the first man to cross the English Channel by plane. The feat took place on July 25, 1909, with a 37-minute flight. At daybreak, Louis Blériot took off for Great Britain from the village of Les Baraques (now Blériot-Plage). The landing took place on the heights of Dover. 

Born in 1874 in Cambrai, Louis Blériot was an engineer and entrepreneur in the automobile industry. He produced car and motorcycle headlights. His real passion was aviation. He created a workshop dedicated to the design of prototypes. In 1909 he took up a challenge from The Daily Mail newspaper and succeeded. He died in 1936 in Paris and a few days later the hamlet of Les Baraques was renamed Blériot-Plage by the municipal council.

The impact of the feat was immediate. It was an event and in 1911, the Aéro Club de France had a stele erected in what was then the plain of Les Baraques, at the take-off site. At the exit of the village (towards Sangatte), a water tower was decorated with a huge painted face of Louis Blériot.  

Did you know? In the summer of 1909, the British newspaper Daily Mail offered a £1000 prize to the first man to successfully cross the English Channel by plane. Three men were declared candidates, the first to have attempted the feat was Hubert Latham, on 1 and 19 July. He failed due to breakdowns. Between Sangatte and Cap Blanc Nez, a statue in his image commemorates his attempts.