In the Middle Ages, the town resounded with the clacking of the leathers skins that the tanners washed and rewashed in the canals. Their fame was great and their hides were sold throughout the region, thanks to the small port built on the Risle. Thus, their hides equipped the armies of William the Conqueror when he left to conquer England. Today, the canals have regained their tranquillity. The Norman cob houses all have stone or brick foundations which protect them from damp.