Every design for Boulogne-Sur-Mer

Long before it was Boulogne, this was Gesoriacum, the Roman port that linked the empire with Britain, and Caligula had a lighthouse built here that stood until coastal erosion toppled it into the sea. Today the city at the mouth of the Liane is France's largest fishing port, specialising in herring, and the Boulonnais live with the Channel at the end of every street.

Growing up here leaves a particular set of memories: the wind off the water, walks along the ramparts of the old town, the belfry that UNESCO lists among the great belfries of Belgium and France, and a school trip to Nausicaa, the marine centre by the harbour. There is the Colonne de la Grande Armée, named after the army Napoleon gathered here in 1805 for an invasion of Britain that never came, and the beaches of the Côte d'Opale a short drive up or down the coast.

On a map of Boulogne you can trace a whole childhood: through the Porte Des Dunes into the old town, down the hill to the quays and the fishing boats, and back up again before dark.