Why is there a statue of a Benedictine monk in the Village Hall?
In a corner of the entrance foyer of Beaulieu Village Hall there is a statue that you might expect to see in the local church but not in a local community centre. It is in fact Dom Perignon and it was presented to the people of Beaulieu by the people of Hautvillers, France in 1986 when the villages became twinned. Hautvillers claim to fame is that it is in the heart of the champagne region of France and was the birthplace of champagne.
Dom Perignon (1638 – 1715) was the cellar master at the Benedictine abbey in Hautvillers and he is credited with developing the techniques of secondary fermentation in strong corked bottles to give the rise to the most widely recognised type of wine in the world – champagne.