Wednesday 23 May 2012

The Old Block

Many of the houses in French country villages have the remnants of lifting gear at the dormer window into their attic. Mostly this is just a beam sticking out above the window, sometimes with the hook for the block (pulley) in place. It is rare to see the actual pulley, so when I saw this one is Angles sur l'Anglin last Sunday I needed to photograph it.

The block is above the dormer of
the house in the foreground
The hooks were usually used for lifting sacks of grain into the attic: attics are a good place for grain as they are usually (assuming the roof is watertight) dry places. I am sure, though, that more adventurous types have lifted furniture to the upper story and in through a window using the hooks, rather than negotiating narrow staircases.

Simon

1 comment:

Niall & Antoinette said...

Reminds me of NL. All the narrow traditional canal houses in Rotterdam and Amsterdam have these pulley systems as the stairs are too narrow and steep to move goods [or furniture].

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