The oldest dock in Calais

This dock called “Bassin du Paradis” owes its name to a family, the Paradises who lived in Calais during the English occupation of the City (1347 – 1558).
The dock, the oldest remaining part of the medieval harbour, now provides shelter for small fishing-boats and a few yachts, which lie on the bottom at low tide.
The real marina is situated on the other side, behind the photographer’s back.
On the quay at the back you can see the long curved terrace of a housing estate with steep pantiled roofs, built after the Second World War and part of the Courgain, which used to be the fishermen’s district, a sort of town within the town, where people spoke broad dialect.
The Courgain was heavily bombarded during the war, and few fishermen are now left.