Claville-Motteville

The Construction of the Claville-Motteville Town Hall-School: A Major Municipal Project

At the end of the 19th century, public education emerged as an absolute political priority. Within this national context, the village of Claville-Motteville, which then counted 401 inhabitants, was confronted with a pressing material issue. The premises leased for the boys' school were indeed deemed dilapidated and largely inadequate by primary school inspectors. Faced with this situation and the imminent expiration of the lease, the local council, under the chairmanship of Mayor Émile Letellier, ratified a historic decision on the 10th of March 1887: the construction of a new municipal building accommodating both a mixed-sex school and the town hall.

The architectural project was entrusted to Eugène Fauquet, an architect based in Rouen. The plans from the period reveal an imposing edifice, erected on a 25-are plot of land situated alongside the Route de Clères. The interior layout demonstrates a genuine desire for spatial optimisation. The ground floor is structured around a central vestibule that separates the municipal council chamber and the teacher’s living quarters—complete with a kitchen and a washhouse—from a vast single classroom. The latter was expressly designed to accommodate 52 pupils. Although the teaching was mixed, the exterior architecture rigorously complied with the moral standards of the era: the recreation area was physically divided by a wall, strictly separating the "Boys' Playground" from the "Girls' Playground".

Such a construction site represented a colossal investment for a rural municipality. The total estimated cost amounted to 21,000 francs. This sum included the acquisition of the land for 1,000 francs, masonry work for 9,655 francs, as well as carpentry and school furniture for 3,644 francs. To raise these funds, the local authority relied on grants from the State (4,711 francs) and the Department (3,541 francs). In November 1887, a decision was also made to take out two 30-year loans from the Crédit Foncier de France, amounting to 15,500 francs and 5,500 francs respectively.

However, the realisation of this building encountered significant administrative obstacles. In the autumn of 1887, the prefectural administration demanded the closure of the girls' school, citing the village's small population. This directive provoked fierce opposition from the local councillors, who were fiercely attached to preserving their mixed school project. A vast wave of solidarity was organised: local prominent figures, including Mayor Émile Letellier, the Comte de Germiny, as well as Mr Dehaye and the schoolmaster Mr Planchon, committed to making donations from their own private funds in order to ensure the schoolmistress's salary and save the establishment.

Due to the delays accumulated by the building works, the municipal council was forced to extend the lease of the old boys' school for a further year, as the new premises were only deemed habitable from October 1889. The final exterior landscaping works were completed in August 1890 with the construction of three small brick bridges to span the adjoining ditches. Finally, in November 1891, the Comte de Germiny, having become mayor in the meantime, settled the outstanding balance of the architect's fees from his own personal fortune.

Even today, the symmetrical façades of the town hall-school remain an eloquent testament to the collective and financial effort made for the education of Claville-Motteville's youth.

The school has been closed since 2025.