The name Rue de la Fosse (Pit Street) was reported from the late 15th century onwards.
This street seems to owe its name to the fact that it was very uneven, which became even more the case when the town was expanded southwards, and because it once led to the fosse (mooring area) at the port’s entrance, as well as to the town’s shelter for boats coming from the Rance River.
At number 4, you can see a fine house with a cut stone façade, dated 1620.
Its lower level, which is where the old cellars were, had its foundations laid bare when the old part of the town was linked with the new neighbourhood built during the second expansion (1714-1720), achieved by filling in the sea.
This house, which is on the south-east corner of the old town wall, had a turret on it which enabled boats entering and leaving the tidal harbour to be inspected.
It was called the Maison du Gouverneur in memory of the family called Le Gouverneur, which was very well-known in Saint-Malo and resided in this part of the town.
No. 2 was built from 1722 onwards for the trader and ship-owner Jean Forgeays, Sieur de Langerie, who outfitted vessels for sailing along the coasts of Peru via Cape Horn.
The Passage du Cap Horn is a passageway located quite near the location of the old town wall.
