The Hôtel Lallemant in Bourges is an early example of the first French Renaissance built before the castles of the Loire Valley: the François I wing of Blois Castle and the châteaux of Azay le Rideau, Chambord and Chenonceau. It is remarkable for the quality of its sculpted decoration and the personality of its sponsors: …
Category Archives: Architecture
Half-timbered houses in Bourges – Maisons à pans de bois à Bourges
Bourges has an amazing number of very well-preserved half-timbered houses of which these are just a few of the easiest to photograph. Between 1000 and 2000 houses were destroyed by fire in 1487 but more were soon built and today there are more than 440 houses from this reconstruction. After the fire new regulations required …
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France’s First Cultural Centre – La première maison de la culture
The Bourges Cultural Centre built between 1936 and 1938 in the Art Deco style, and inaugurated in 1963, was France’s first cultural centre thanks to the writer and politician André Malraux, the minister of culture at the time. It houses a large and a small theatre. La Maison de la Culture de Bourges (également connue …
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Bourges Cathedral
We went to Bourges today to pick up a 2019 secondhand Renault Scenic to replace our 2005 Scenic bought in 2007. It sadly died last Sunday having clocked up 188 000 km. Both are automatics, not very popular in France, but they have saved my back. Unfortunately the stunningly beautiful UNESCO classified cathedral was closed …
The Pointed Roof – Le toit pointu
We regularly cycle past a similar building that has fallen into rack and ruin over the years but we still don’t know its purpose. Nous passons régulièrement devant une construction similaire qui est tombée en ruine au fil des ans, mais nous ne savons toujours pas à quoi elle sert.
Houses in Mennetou – Maisons de Mennetou
This was one of the first houses we saw in the mediaeval town of Mennetou-sur-Cher. The painting shows the old grain market and castle. The following photos are of typical 15th and 16th century houses. Voici l’une des premières maisons que nous avons vues dans la cité médiévale de Mennetou-sur-Cher. Le tableau représente la halle …
Good News – Bonne nouvelle
One of the entrances to the mediaeval town of Mennetou-sur-Cher is through the Good News gate next to the 18th century Benedictine priory. The following photos were taken from inside the gate and from the other side. L’une des entrées à la cité médiévale de Mennetou-sur-Cher est par la porte Bonne Nouvelle à côté du …
Gables Galore – Plein de pignons
This rather surprising mix of architectural styles is the parish church of Saint Martin in Mosnes. Of the early Romanesque church only the round apse and the chancel remain, together with the lower part of the square bell tower supported by the transept crossing. The current roof dates from the mid-18th century. The aisles are …
Next Door to Mick – Les voisins de Mick
This is Mick Jagger’s next door neighbour in Pocé-sur-Cisse. His château is set so far back from the road that my iPhone could only just see it. This house is more in the style of an early 20th century holiday home in France than a main residence but the troglodyte cellars are obviously from an …
Le Lude: Another Remarkable Garden – Un autre jardin remarquable
Now that we have visited the remarkable garden of Aprémont, we want to discover others. We cycled for an hour and a half in intermittent drizzle today (not the weather predicted) from Château-sur-Loir to visit Château du Lude but it was worth it. The gardens are more formal than Aprémont. We were not expecting the …
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