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THE BEGINNING OF SEA BATHING

Illustration Erwan Le Saëc

The beginnings of seaside tourism in Saint-Quay-Portrieux

In 1841, a Guingamp doctor prescribed seawater baths for two of his patients. These ladies of Guingamp’s good society decided to travel to Saint-Quay-Portrieux and, in the absence of a proper hotel, asked for hospitality from the religious community next to the beach, which often welcomed retreatants. Despite the unusual purpose of their stay, the sisters agreed to receive them. (See “parish church” sign)

Long feared and loathed when it came to diving into the sea, by the mid-19th century the sea had become a kind of universal remedy. European physicians and hygienists discovered the therapeutic virtues of sea baths, which seemed to cure just about everything…
These baths had to be carried out under specific conditions: the benefits of “seizure” were sought above all, and required a cold bath, either in the English Channel or in the Atlantic. They are carried out under the supervision of specialized staff, who may also perform “blade” bathing. The “patient” is plunged into the sea by a member of the medical staff, at the precise moment when the wave breaks, to provoke a suffocation deemed indispensable… this is Daumier’s drawing dated 1853. The first bathhouse specialized in sea bathing opened in Dieppe in 1822.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Le bain à la lame – Daumier – Charivari 1853.

As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

Chapelle Sainte-Anne Saint-Quay-Portrieux

C’est aussi l’époque de la construction des premières maisons de villégiature. A partir du dernier tiers du 19e siècle on peut parler d’un début de tourisme balnéaire, accentué par la mise en service de la ligne du « petit train des Côtes du Nord » qui dessert le Portrieux et Saint-Quay dès 1905. 

Affiche André Wilder – 1898

As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

The crossing to Newfoundland, 2,250 nautical miles long (4,167 km), took at least three weeks. The voyage was perilous on ships carrying 30 to 50 crew and loaded with the small boats that would be used to fish off the coast of Newfoundland. Departure was in the spring. As the Portrieux roadstead was the deepest, the cod boats from all over the Bay of Saint Brieuc would gather there before the big departure.
Chapelle Sainte-Anne Saint-Quay-Portrieux
Les plages de France – Bertall – Flammarion 1886.

LARGE-SCALE FISHING

As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

    LARGE-SCALE FISHING

    As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
    Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

      As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
      Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

      La plage du port – Ernest Gérard – 1882 – (collection particulière)

      As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
      Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.

        As early as 1612, ships from Le Portrieux and Binic were the first in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to go cod fishing in Newfoundland.
        Salted or dried, cod was easy to store and transport. It provided food for the population during the many “lean” (meatless) days imposed by the church.