The pyramid structure of French local government is based, of course, on the commune, while at the apex of each département is what in the US would be the state capital (or, in the UK, the county town). In our case, this ‘capital city’, which is where you find the Prefecture, is Limoges.

However, between the commune and the capital is another layer of administration, as each département is divided into a number of cantons. The principal town of each canton is where you’ll find a sous-prefecture. Our canton is based in the town of Bellac.

There is a very picturesque area in Bellac which, oddly enough, I haven’t yet got around to combing for interesting doors. However, we recently went to the annual vide grenier, which takes place down by the river and, armed only with my smartphone, I spotted a few worthwhile doors, which can act as a taster until I undertake a proper doorscursion.

To begin with, two aspects of the same building:

A little further along this riverside road can be found this door, with matching balcony:

Both of those houses are occupied, but this one certainly isn’t:

This door is adjacent to the old stone bridge that crosses the river:

Finally, there’s this door in what used to be a garden wall:

Thursday Doors 4 October 2018