A town of farming and light industry, it is situated in the Pays de Bray, some 50 km (31 mi) east of Rouen, at the junction of the N 31, the D 915 and the D 930 roads. The commune's territory includes three former parishhamlets, near the confluence of the Epte with three other smaller rivers – the Morette, Auchy and Aulnaie.
The arms of Gournay-en-Bray are blazoned: Sable, an armed knight contourny maintaining in his right hand a lance argent, and in chief a fleur-de-lys Or.
The traditional armoury of the Counts of Gournay seems to have been Sable simple (a pure black shield with nothing on it), hence the sable field here.
Places of interest
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Hildevert, built in the 12th century, is famous for its Romanesque capitals, ornate decoration and its ancient religious sculptures.
Gournay-en-Bray is twinned with Hailsham in the English County of East Sussex. Hailsham has a much larger population (circa 20,500 compared to Gournay-en-Bray's circa 6,500) but, according to Hailsham Town Council, "the features and facilities of both towns are quite similar".[5] A twinning charter[6] was signed in Hailsham in October 2000 and in Gournay-en-Bray in February 2001, and renewed in both towns on its 10th anniversary.[7]