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Some concrete plans.

Hello and thank you for joining me this week.

For those who know me, concrete is not something that is high on my list of interests. However this week I am heading off into uncharted territory and learning a bit about the history of concrete! All thanks to these stairs outside our French home. Stick with me, it really is quite an eye-opener. There is more too – a little look at some of the features of the house and a lot of questions about the history.

These stairs are fabulous and lead up to the first floor above our kitchen, not to the front door. Although they look like stone, they are, in fact, made from concrete. This is the older part of the house, possibly built in the 1790s. We have no idea why the stairs are there. Perhaps an addition to make the house seem grander? Added to have an entrance on the first floor? We know that the Attorney General of Paris lived here at one point in the mid-1800s and had his offices on the first floor. We think he may have added the tower and enlarged the house in the mid to late 1800s perhaps as a statement of success/wealth, as was the habit at the time. It is fascinating trying to trace some of the house’s history. Doors in the house have been blocked up, the tower with pigeonnier added, some windows have brick surrounds unlike the older parts that have stone surrounds. In one of the rooms there is evidence of a partition wall that has been removed. In one of the first floor rooms there is a trap door, now blocked up, leading to the old kitchen below, (now more of a utility/store room). We know that refugees were hidden in the house during the war. Was the trap door for this? It looks older but who knows. The door to the utility room is also quite odd, very reinforced with evidence of many locks and bolts. Why? Max suggested that as there was a back kitchen off the old kitchen (demolished by the previous owner, but we found much of the stone and an old stone evier (sink) in the garden – more on that soon) and there was a door to outside, perhaps this door was reinforced from the inside in case anyone came in who was not welcome. Another mystery.

So many questions. I would love to find all the answers but probably won’t. I will keep you posted as and when I find out more information.

Meanwhile back to the concrete stairs. Up to now I have had very little interest in concrete it has to be said! Occasionally you see paw prints in a concrete path, which I love, but otherwise definitely not my thing. However the fact that the stairs are concrete piqued my interest when trying to date them. For anyone who knows about this, you will be aware that concrete/cement has been around for a long time in one shape or another. I really had no idea! In France there were a number of builders who pioneered the use of concrete in construction. Among them François Coignet, who was one of the first to use iron-reinforced concrete for constructing building structures. He started experimenting in 1852 and was apparently the first ever builder to use this technique as a building material. I had no idea I would get interested in this but I did. He called it ‘pierre artificielle’ (artificial stone). More research and I found that he actually built a whole house in Paris in 1853 from béton armé, a type of iron-reinforced concrete. In spite of reports at the time that said it would be dangerous, the house still stands today and is now a national monument, albeit not in great shape. Our staircase is reinforced concrete, currently quite dilapidated but useable.

Concrete balustrade in need of repair

We have been told that we can get the balustrade redone – a large number of the balusters are broken. Balusters – new word – are the pillars of a balustrade – I have just found that out. The things you learn. I feel like I am virtually an architect now! It looks so grand and makes a lovely balcony for the room it goes up to. Quite a feature and another job on the very long list!

The front door is also fascinating. Look at the worn front doorstep – more evidence of the passage of many feet!

The front door

The door is possibly original, definitely needs a bit of repair work but is very solid, although like many things in this house a little leaky in heavy rain. It has shields on the lower part, perhaps just for decoration. Remember the huge key from an earlier post? This fits this door!

Throughout the house we also have some beautiful plaster mouldings over fireplaces. No room is the same, but each one is quite beautiful. We are so lucky these have not been lost over time:

As we redecorate I want to ensure that we don’t lose the impact of these features. They stand out well with the current décor, not my colours for these rooms. I will be revealing those soon.

As with many old houses, this place has evidently evolved over its life time. There are different styles in different parts: panelling in the salon and the first floor tower landing; different floorboards, one room we think is walnut and probably original, oak and more uniform floorboard sizes in the tower end. The longer we are here, the more detail we notice, good and bad! I am glad we have taken the time to live here for a while before decorating and changing things. It gives you time to work out the space, the light and the flow. Some of our original ideas would not have worked. The colours I chose (and bought) for the séjour look totally different due to the light in there. One of the colours is now going on to the kitchen walls.

Finally for this week, just in case concrete and plaster mouldings were just too boring, here is a cute photo of the young rescue kittens. As you can see they are flourishing, although all claws and teeth at the moment. 9 weeks old already and full of curiosity. They are still not sure about Bear but hopefully will get used to him! Another trip to the vet next week for the first round of vaccinations – all 4 of them. We are going to have to look seriously at fundraising!

Growing up

As ever, let me know what you think about the post. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and week ahead.

A bientôt and thank you for reading.

Ali x

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