Wednesday 21 December 2016

Architectural Details of Preuilly II


This house is clearly making use of all its attic space, with doors into every little lean-to and extension. These little doors which must be accessed by ladder probably mean there is no internal staircases to take up valuable space on the floor below.

The Chapelle de Tous les Saints in the low glow of winter sunshine. Despite its delapidated state it is still an attractive building, with empty but still beautiful Gothic windows. (To donate to the restoration fund, click here.)

A narrow street with garage doors at odd angles, possibly to facilitate access and egress.

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Loire Valley Nature: A new entry has been added for the ubiquitous Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosa.

A photo of the lawn at Candé has been added to the entry for Cowslip Primula veris.

A new entry has been added for the mainly southern species Sweet-scented Virgins Bower Clematis flammula, which is rare in the Touraine.

2 comments:

the fly in the web said...

I was reading Pierre-Jakez Helias 'Le Cheval d'Orgeuil recently and he describes these garrets with no internal access as being typical of peasant houses in his village in Brittany.
I remember that many old farmhouses in my area had external stone staircases to reach the upper storey - which was used for fodder storage, rather than as living space.

Susan said...

Typically in this area, if the house has an external staircase it is providing access to first floor living space. Underneath and above are the working and storage areas, with the storage accessed by ladders.

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