An Artisanal Chestnut Chair

In the Haute-Vienne and neighbouring 'counties' of the south-west of France like Limousin a rustic tradition is clinging on. Developing as a commercial product in the 19th century, by the mid-20th century there were 20 artisanal workshops making large quantities of chestnut furniture that is unique to the area.  All the workshops had to close during the Covid pandemic, and almost all never reopened. Nowadays, after a low point of a single workshop making this furniture, now there are a handful of people who are working to prevent the skills dying. The best known workshop operating today is that of Pascal and Martine Raffier, at la Chapelle Montbrandeix and they are doing their best to train younger artisans.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were 5000 people employed in Haute-Vienne making chestnut furniture. These artisans, called feuillardiers, would select and mark suitable chestnut trees for the foresters to coppice. These managed trees gave a range of products, including large numbers of pickets, much valued by winemakers for the vineyards of the South-West. As well, there was a range of simple, durable furniture made, with a great diversity of forms.

 

A chestnut armchair in the Chateau de Bridoré.

 

The chestnut armchair has become one of the iconic products of the region. Initially it was small family workshops making this furniture, and the industry thrived in the post-War period up until the 1970s. Multiple generations were involved in the manufacture, and some workshops were able to employ a handul of staff. The furniture was sold in fashionable Paris stores such as Galeries Lafayette. Older inhabitants of the area can remember wagonloads being sent to Paris on the train from Chalus. Luxury hotels on tropical islands ordered dozens at a time.

But plastic came to dominate the outdoor furniture market, and it could be built more cheaply in developing countries. The focus of the workshops in the Haute-Vienne switched to the repair of chestnut furniture. Pieces needing their seats or table tops rewoven would be brought to the artisans by devotees of the style who had owned the chairs for decades.

To make a chair the artisan selects lengths of chestnut that are dried in an oven. The artisan first removes the knots with a pocket knife. Thin strips called clisses (splints) are cut on a special old machine to form the 'canes' which will be hand woven to form the seat and back. After the woven panels are done they are framed in rattan and the splints carefully cut for a neat finish. It takes two hours over two days to make a finished chair, during which time the wood is prepared, the main structure is put together, the woven panels are added and everything is finished off.

The furniture was appreciated because of its light weight combined with durability. It was resistant to insect damage and the pieces have a sort of quirky creativity which consumers enjoyed for their holiday houses. Le Corbusier is said to have been very fond of the armchairs, and these days they are marketed using his name for the model.

Look For the Little White Dog

Jean Gourmelin was a French 20th century illustrator born in 1920, who produced works that highlighted the absurd and fantastical. He most often worked in pen and ink, but sometimes made engravings, paintings and sculptures. His works play with space, time and chance. 

Stained glass window in the chapel of the Chateau Royal de Blois.

He was born in Paris and his parents worked for a wealthy Jewish family in their grand townhouse. At school the art teacher was quick to recognise his talent. When he was fourteen his parents bought a shop in Vendome and the family moved. At high school he encountered artists working in various media who mentored and influenced him. 

After graduating from art school he worked designing and printing luxury wallpaper and very quickly became known in these circles. During the Second World War he worked as an industrial designer in a factory, in order to escape conscription into the compulsory work programme. 

The little white dog which is the 'signature' of Jean Gourmelin.

From 1951 to 1969 he collaborated with his cousin Claude Serre, who was also an illustrator, and the master stained glass artist Max Ingrand. In that time they produced several series of stained glass windows, most notably for the chapels in the grounds of the chateaux of Blois and Amboise, and the cathedrals in Rouen and Saint-Malo.

All of the glass, both 16th originals and 19th century repairs, at the Chapel of the Chateau de Blois, and much of the glass in other churches in Blois, was destroyed during the American bombing campaign of 1944. After the War Ingrand and Gourmelin were commissioned to create new windows for the chapel. They worked together after the War on the windows of the chapel of Saint Hubert at the Chateau of Amboise as well. To recognise Gourmelin's work, look for the little dog with the curly tail, which is his personal 'signature'.

Stained glass in the Chapelle Saint Hubert, in the grounds of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise.

The windows in the Chapelle Saint Hubert in Amboise were made in Ingrand's workshop in 1952. They were conserved in 2022-24 as part of a total restoration of the chapel. Those of the Chapelle Saint Calais in the grounds of the Chateau Royal de Blois, were made in the same workshop in 1957, and have never been restored.

From 1961 onwards Gourmelin worked with science fiction writers and political journals. From 1971 onwards he participated in a television programme with other contemporary artists, illustrators and cartoonists. 

In 2000 he developed a degenerative eye disease and gave up drawing. From 2008 he had a series of strokes, and died at the age of 90 in 2011. He and his wife had lived for 60 years in Hauts-de-Seine outside of Paris.

La Roche Posay in the Sun

As part of my recovery I'm supposed to be walking 3 kilometres every day, but for the last 6 months that hasn't been possible. It took me ages to recover from radiotherapy, and then we encountered one of the longest unbroken periods of rain on record. And it was winter and grey.

On Sunday I finally managed 3 kilometres, non stop apart from taking photos. It's obvious that spring is here.

The Dogs of Loches

 

 Spot the dogs.

If you visit the Logis Royal, the royal hunting lodge and residence of mistresses and queens, on the Royal Citadel in Loches one of the first things you will see is a series of carved stone hounds sitting on the balustrade of the staircase up to the southern entrance. All the locals know and love them. 

But not everyone is aware that whilst the royal hunting lodge was built in the 15th century (in two phases), the dogs and their staircase were only added in the early 20th century, when the building ceased being the government offices, and opened to the public as a heritage tourist attraction. And what even more people fail to notice is that there are other dogs ornamenting the building, which, so far as I know, are original to the second building phase in the late 15th century.

 

15th century dormer windows.

This hunting lodge was a medieval Valois stronghold, refuge and sanctuary. The Valois royals were famously besotted with their dogs and the contemporary records make it clear that these animals were pets and companions, to be cossetted, fussed over, spoiled and loved.

 

Anne of Brittany, the Queen for whom the extension created in the second phase of the building was made, was accompanied everywhere by a pair of whippets. Louis XI had a great white lurcher (Fr. lévrier) that was with him until the very end. Someone buried a medium sized dog hard up against the chapel wall in the 15th century, and the position tells us that it must have been an animal that a high status person cared about a lot.

 

The dogs sit high and proud looking out over the valley towards the forest.

Whilst there were no breeds as such at this time, there was a hierachy of dog types. At the top were the 'running dogs', what we would call greyhounds, whippets, lurchers, wolf hounds and the like, used as both pets and hunting dogs. It is almost always this type of dog that gets mentioned as beloved in the contemporary literature. Then there were the 'hunting dogs', which were big hounds and mastiffs, used in packs to bring down large prey. There were 'guard dogs'  and 'shepherd dogs' which protected property and controlled livestock. And there were small dogs suitable for living indoors and spending much of their time in their owners arms. Portraits of the great and the good feature cute little dogs surprisingly often. There must also have been small hunting dogs like terriers for catching vermin.

Chateau de Verneuil

We had an appointment with Simon's urologist a week ago and used the taxi-ambulance to get there. On the way the driver stopped to pick up a third passenger in Verneuil sur Indre. We got talking and she was able to give us the latest on the chateau in the village.

It is a particularly lovely chateau that was for many years a residential home for disadvantaged children. When they moved out the chateau was acquired by an investor who announced very grand plans, which included apartments, a country club style hotel, an equestrian centre and a camp ground. Unfortunately it turned out he was operating a Ponzi scheme, and it eventually fell apart.

Our taxi companion told us that the chateau has now been bought by a private individual who intends restoring it and making it his home. He already has a chateau in Morbihan, so we hope he has deep pockets. The Chateau de Verneuil looks lovely in the landscape, but it has suffered many decades of neglect, so to turn it into a comfortable home will take considerable investment. Nevertheless, everyone is very happy to have such a buyer turn up. It is the perfect solution. Apparently the new owner has fallen in love with the Touraine and with the Chateau de Verneuil.

These photos were taken by Monica in September 2024. 

Dovecotes in the Touraine

Dovecotes in French are colombiers, or more often, pigeonniers. They are buildings in which to house and raise domestic pigeons.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

The word colombier comes from the Latin, but since the 18th century the term pigeonnier has more commonly been used and colombier has become obsolete. The term colombier is restricted to free standing towers, or housing for homing pigeons. They generally date from the Renaissance up to the 20th century. Modern changes in agriculture, especially the increasing cultivation of crops such as sugarbeet, have led to the raising of pigeons becoming obsolete (ie farms were not necessarily raising enough cereal to feed pigeons).

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

There is a third word in French to designate a dovecote -- sometimes, especially in the Touraine, they are called a fuie. The term dates from the early 12th century and implies a refuge. They are small scale and able to be closed with a shutter, mainly used more domestically for personal consumption of a modest individual household. These dovecotes are modifications to existing buildings rather than freestanding purpose built constructions.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Dovecotes come in quite a range of sizes and architectural styles. Amongst a dozen other areas scattered across France the Touraine is rather well known for its extant dovecotes. The most common style in the Touraine is the cylindrical tower, dating from the 14th to the 16th century. These were generally topped with tiles, but may have a cupola and a lantern. They have a single dormer entrance, and exterior ledges for the pigeons to land and take off from.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

The interior of a pigeonnier has niches known in French as boulins. Each niche houses a pair of birds. The boulins can be made of stone, brick or daub, and made as part of the construction, or they can be ceramic or wicker and added later. There are several dovecotes in France with 2000 or more niches. The number of niches is a sign of wealth and indicates how much land the owner is cultivating. It was not unknown for socially climbing dovecote owners to add fake niches, to try to hoodwink the families they wished to marry into.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Inside the dovecote is a honeycomb of niches. Up to about 80 cm from the ground is empty, to prevent predators from climbing up. In the centre is a mechanism to which one or two ladders are attached, and it can be swung all the way around to give access to the nests at any height, so they can be cleaned, and the 4-5 week old squabs taken for the table. Troughs for water and food were placed on the floor. The entry window opening could be closed by a wooden grill operated from the ground by a pulley.

 

Chaumussay.

It seems to have been the Romans who introduced the practice of raising pigeons in France. In the Middle Ages dovecotes supplied a luxury food, but also an important source of fertiliser, that could help enrich the local Lord. Pigeon guano was used up until the mid-20th century as fertiliser. At the end of the 19th century it was estimated that 2 million pigeons were consumed in the City of Paris per year.

 

Private garden, Chinon.

Property owners had to apply for the right to erect a dovecote, and its size had to reflect the importance of the property. They were often placed over a chook shed, a kennel, a bread oven or a pantry. Generally the smaller ones were integrated into a stable, barn, or shed. Owners had to prove a minimum of 25 hectares of land was being cultivated if they wanted up to 120 niches.  

 

Boussay.

Whilst the pigeons produced an excellent fertiliser, they were still viewed as a menace at seed sowing time. During that season the birds were shut up in their dovecotes.

 

Fortified farm, Vesvre (Neuilly Deux Clochers).

After the Revolution raising pigeons by commoners became a symbol of what had been won, and niches were added to many houses.

 

 Les Louroux.

Dovecotes need to be positioned away from large trees to prevent raptors from staking them out. Likewise they need features to discourage predation by rodents and mustelids (martens and weasels), for example smooth tiled or plastered surrounds to the entrances, or being elevated off the ground on a central pole.

 

Chateau de Valencay, Antan.

Nowadays, small dovecotes are erected by municipalities who want to encourage pigeons to nest somewhere convenient and not on street lights and window ledges. The municipal dovecotes are usually managed so eggs are systematically sterilised, in order to reduce and control the urban pigeon population.

Ceramic Apothecary Pots

Apothecary shelves in the museum at Issoudun.

It is rare, even today, for an old long established French pharmacy not to have a few brightly coloured ceramic pots, from the days when they were an apothecary. Their round forms are entirely covered with hand painted floral decorations and mysterious gothic inscriptions. These days they have lost their practical function and have become decorators and collectors items of some worth. Ceramicists and medical professionals worked together to create pots suitable to contain valuable herbal mixtures such as Theriaca (for snake bite) or Egyptian unguent. 

Apothecary cabinet at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

This type of pottery arrived in Europe in the 7th to 14th centuries, with the Moorish and Arab invasions. The pots were valued for their decorative qualities and their durability.

The Apothecary at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

The tin glazed (aka maiolica or, in French, faience) earthenware pots are known as albarelli, or gallipots, and were used between the 15th and 17th centuries in France. A fine collection of albarelli inspired confidence in the professional capabilities of the apothecary. The jars were sealed with parchment or leather tied on with string. Typically albarelli are cylindrical with a narrow collar at the top, which allows them to be easily gripped even they don't have handles. Other shapes are also widely used, adapted to purpose and contents.

Albarelli for tobacco, a medicinal product in the 16th century, at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

To see collections of 16th century apothecary pots in the Touraine and Berry I recommend visiting the Chateau de Chenonceau and the Musée de l'Hospice Saint-Roch in Issoudun.

 

 Apothecary shelves in the museum at Issoudun.

Happy New Year

We wish all our friends and readers a happy and healthy 2026. Above all, we need a just and lasting peace to break out globally.

 

Nous souhaitons à tous nos amis et lecteurs une année 2026 plein de bonheur et de bonne santé. Avant tout, nous avons besoin d'une paix juste et durable qui s'installe à l'échelle mondiale.

The Chateaux Need Christmas

The chateaux of the Loire Valley are finding it is hard to make enough money to stay on top maintaining the buildings and remain relevant. Increasingly they are relying on Christmas visitor numbers and activities to get them through the year financially. And they have to spend increasingly to create the sort of spectacular displays that the public are drawn to. Chambord has spent 200 000 euros this year and hopes to bring in a million euros, which will go towards saving the Francois I wing from collapse. It is currently closed to the public for safety reasons.

Chateaux like Chambord and Chenonceau are constructed on wooden piles driven into a swamp and a riverbed respectively. Climate change is contributing to structural problems caused by subsidence and cracking which will require a serious injection of funds.

This problem and how you manage it is part of what I talk about to clients. Opening to the public is a double edged sword. On the one hand you make some revenue from the sale of entry tickets, but not enough to cover the increased costs of having thousands of visitors tromp through a fragile centuries old building which was not designed to take that many people every day. 

What you are actually doing by opening to the public is creating a brand, and you hope to break even by engaging in a variety of auxiliary revenue streams - gift shop, restaurant, pay parking, entertainment shows, concerts and events, filming, guided tours including behind the scenes, workshops to pass on traditional skills, boat or carriage rides or hire, and so on. 

The public have a right to visit these places. It is their heritage too, so you cannot put it out of their price range. You also cannot flog the very heritage fabric you are sharing into oblivion or even shabby disrepair. It is a very challenging tightrope to have to teeter across. 

In a multicultural and or class tiered society another emerging problem is that this is not everyone's heritage, and so large parts of the population don't care about these places, or are positively antagonistic.

 

Photos show the Christmas decorations at the Chateau of Chenonceau this year.

Making Do

If you are a fan of quirky rustic furniture then you could spend some time looking around the Touraine Loire Valley. Like in any provincial rural area people have found ways to be both thrifty and creative. Here are a couple of examples I've come across in my travels. Both, I suspect, are 19th century.

Above is a chair displayed at the Chateau de Bridoré. There is no information about the chair and I didn't get the chance to ask anyone. It is clearly hand made, with legs formed using a spokeshave or a drawknife. I don't know what the wood is but I would guess maybe poplar, willow or ash. The bent wood has been arranged in an unexpected way, by someone who was solving a structural problem on the spot. Not a professional chair maker, but someone willing to have a go. The seat and back looks like it could be woven reedmace.

The pair of chairs below are in the hunting museum at the Chateau de Chambord. Unsurprisingly I suppose, since they are made out of antlers and deer hide. I suspect they are masquerading as 'rustic', the sort of thing a bourgeois hunter might have furnished his hunting lodge with and paid a ridiculous amount of money for.

World War I Hospital Blankets

For the whole of World War I the Chateau of Chenonceau was a military hospital, set up, funded and run by the chocolate manufacturing Menier family. On the centenary of the start of the War they got a selection of hospital furniture and ephemera out of storage and recreated a small hospital ward.

On the beds are military blankets marked with the initials SSM in one corner and GF in the opposite corner. A quick internet search revealed that SSM stands for Service de Santé Militaire (Military Health Service). It seems that GF stands for Garde Frontier.

In the original hospital there were 120 beds, one of the first x-ray machines and a modern operating theatre. Most of the 2254 soldiers and airmen treated over the course of the War were very severely wounded.