theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Thursday Doors: Meillant (2)
Posted on July 27, 2017
This week we have the second instalment of doors in the town of Meillant. Last week we focused on the imposing Chateau, but we are ranging a little further afield this time – although to begin with only as far as the family chapel, which stands in front of the main house:
Just inside the entrance to the site is this visitor centre, which houses a number of miniature models of the chateau and other prominent buildings:
All the doors so far have been in more or less pristine condition, but these two examples in the grounds of the Chateau are rather more neglected – and mysterious:
Finally, because there is a town (or village at any rate) outside the walls, two examples of where the other half 99.9% live:
Thursday Doors 27 July 2017
Thursday Doors: Chateau de Meillant (1)
Posted on July 20, 2017
After a visit to the restored Cistercian Abbey at Noirlac, feautured last week, we visited Chateau de Meillant, a very grand edifice that has ben in the same family for over 500 years.
How they made it through the French Revolution without an appointment with Madame Guillotine I don’t know, but the current owner lives in one wing, of which this is the main door:
The rest of the house is open to the public and is richly endowed with period features, taking photographs of which is forbidden – not least because they sell more guide-books that way. On the outside, though, there are plenty of Gothic doors to admire:
Behind the chateau is what used to be the servants’ quarters:
and the stable block, which now houses a collection of vintage cars:
Next week more from Chatea de Meillant, including some rather less pristine examples.
Thursday Doors 20 July 2017
Tuesdays of Texture: Moss
Posted on June 27, 2017
This moss-covered stone can be found in the grounds of the impressisive Chateau du Meillant, in central France.
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Steps
Posted on June 27, 2017
Answering the theme of ‘steps’ this week is this dramatic-looking staircase to be found in the twelfth-century church in the nearby village of Saint-Martial-sur-Isop.
Although the ceiling has obviously been renovated, this steep and winding set of stairs leading up to the roof looks, if not original then pretty old. Not surprisingly, it isn’t open to the public.
More responses to Frank’s latest challenge can be found here: Tuesday Photo Challenge: Steps
Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage
Posted on May 18, 2017
We live in a very rural part of France, where agriculture remains a crucial element of the local economy.
As most farms remain family businesses, they are typically much smaller than the vast agri-industrial enterprises to be found elsewhere. Modern methods are used, of course (nobody uses a pair of horses for tilling any more, apart from at the annual ploughing competition), but there is still plenty of heritage, in the sense of evidence of the way things used to be done.
In particular, there is the open-air museum of rural life at nearby Montrol-Sénard, which includes this barn, still containing old cattle byres. There were some just like these in our own barn when we bought it, but they were too far gone and disappeared during the restoration process.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth
Posted on April 20, 2017
WordPress is marking Earth Day this coming Saturday by taking ‘Earth’ as the subject for this week’s Photo Challenge.
In the same spirit, I’m recycling – in this case, an image from a previous post. Admittedly, though, this also has a lot to do with the fact that I’m travelling this week and so don’t have access to my full photo collection.
This field is no more than a few hundred yards from my house in rural France. It rained quite heavily after the crop was harvested, highlighting the lines drawn by the farmer’s plough.
Thursday Doors: A Vendre
Posted on March 30, 2017
Something a little different this week…À vendre: For Sale.
Here in rural France there are innumerable properties, both residential and commercial, for sale. Many of these – perhaps even the majority – have been up for sale for many years. And they are, frankly, unsaleable.
When it comes to commercial properties – shops – the economic consequences of improved transport links and the spread of car ownership have left many rural communities with little more than the bare essentials available locally. In our village, for example, there is a boulangerie, a pharmacy, a ‘superette’ and – bizarrely – two hairdressers.
There are also plenty of empty shops optimistically displaying ‘À Vendre’ signs – as they have been for many years, to judge from the distinctly dated style of the shopfronts. Here are a couple of examples:
Of rather more architectural interest is this failed enterprise – hairdresser, parfumerie and purveyor of fishing supplies. Obviously, nothing worked:
Even large towns are proving incapable of supporting smaller local shops, as these two examples from Confolens illustrate:
Normal service will be resumed next week, with some reassuringly knackered doors from the cathedral city of Chartres.
Thursday Doors 29 March 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge: Atop
Posted on March 15, 2017
Take a ride in the glass lift that’s now inside the bell-tower of the church and you will find yourself atop the medieval town of Sarlat, in the Dordogne, with matchless views over the tops of the old buildings:
Thursday Doors: St Junien – decrepit
Posted on February 23, 2017
For the fourth and (I promise) final instalment of doors from St Junien I’ve saved – depending on your point of view – either the best or the worst ’til last. They’re certainly among the tattiest, and that’s fine by me.
Actually, this first one isn’t too bad:
but these next three; oh dear:
Lastly, a double helping of double doors. The second one looks like it’s tipping me the wink:
Thursday Doors 23 February 2017
Thursday Doors: More from Mezieres
Posted on January 12, 2017
Back in November I posted images of some of the doors and gates to be found in our local village of Mézières-sur-Issoire. Those two posts by no means exhausted the local possibilities, however, so here are some more from Mézières.
The local economy is still predominantly agriculture-based and the largest open space within the village is not the statutory place de la Republique, but the Marché des Ovins – the sheep market. These first three doors are to be found there:
This barn is just down the road from the church; you can’t beat a door within a door:
Although this one is obviously no longer still in use:
And finally – just to prove that the village does still have such things – an occupied private house:
Thursday Doors 12 January 2017
Top Posts & Pages
theonlyD800inthehameau 