The Loire Valley and especially Blois
We thought we had exhausted most of the sights within a 40 kilometer radius of Blois until we came across the lovely little town of Suevres not far from Cour-sur-Loire while cycling. It has several wash houses and old water mills. Nous pensions avoir tout exploré dans un rayon de 40 kilomètres de Blois mais en …
Continue reading “A Wash House in Suevres – Un lavoir à Suevres”
The last time we saw this washhouse built in 1875 in the middle of the hamlet of Vivier next to a fountain that supplies water to a little stream, it was pouring with rain. It was the perfect shelter for us and our bikes! La dernière fois que nous avons vu ce lavoir construit en 1875 …
Two washhouses face to face with a sluice gate inbetween at Valaires. Deux lavoirs face à face avec une vanne entre les deux à Valaires.
The system that enables the washerwomen to be level with the water can be seen in this washhouse, built in the 15th century on the Saint Jacques branch of the Loir River in Vendôme. It is one of the rare examples of a two-story washhouse, designed exclusively for a community, in this case the Cordeliers …
Continue reading “Fifteenth Century Wash House – Lavoir du XVème”
A lavoir is a public place for washing clothes, usually fed by a spring or a river. Many, such as this one, have roofs for shelter. The lavoir in Vallières les Grandes has an interesting fountain with 3 heads. Les lavoirs publics étaient alimentés soit par une source soit par une rivière. Ils étaient souvent …