Marquette-lez-Lille was originally a village a few kilometres from Lille and archaeologists have discovered the site of a Gallo-Roman village, a Merovingian cemetery and a Cistercian Abbey there. After the first world war it became an industrial centre and thrived but the big companies have now all closed, leaving behind a variety of brown field sites, many of which have now been redeveloped or are being developed for housing or other purposes. Nowadays it is an easily accessible and attractive dormitory for Lille but still retains a distinct entity. It has numerous parks and the towpaths of the Deûle and the Marque provide scope for leisure activities and access to nature.
