The Roannais to Medieval Carcassonne! by Brian Franklin

purefrancenow — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:18:54 +0000

The Roannais has an enviable central location in France which enables pretty reasonable, and easy access to many other parts of Europe – particularly Southern and South West of France, Northern Spain, Pyrenees and the North Eastern coast, and Northern Italy, including the French and Italian Alps.

Excellent autoroute networks throughout the above regions make driving holidays very easy and convenient, and, of course, there are lots of interesting places to visit and stop-over for the night to break the journey.

On our route to Carcassonne you also get the chance to cross the absolutely breathtaking Pont Millau, the new suspension bridge designed by British architect, Norman Foster, and built by the same company which constructed the Eiffel Tower. Successful Anglo-French co-operation at its very best !

So, from the Roannais in the Rhône-Alpes the beautiful Medieval city of Carcassonne is less than 4 hours drive away. The autoroute is excellent.

Our holiday voyage was part of a 6-day break which we made enroute to the vibrant city of Barcelona, and which included a stop-over in Figueres to visit the brilliant Dali Theatre-Museum, and a day trip to Salavador Dali’s house in the old fishing village of Cadaqués. A great experience.

So more to come on all this in my next series of blogs.

Meanwhile, our first visit (it will not be our last !) to Carcassonne was absolute magic. The ancient fortified city and castle of Carcassonne is stunning. Luckily the normally huge numbers of tourists were at a minimum when we arrived, so we were able to walk around with ease, and take in all the medieval wonders. Full of traditional, old French character, and incredible buildings and architecture.

Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department of France.
It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, and main township. The folk etymology – involving a châtelaine named Carcas, a ruse ending a siege and the joyous ringing of bells (“Carcas sona”) – though memorialized in a neo-Gothic sculpture of Madame Carcas on a column near the Narbonne Gate, is of modern invention. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored in 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

There is obviously so much about the ancient history of Carcassonne which is interesting, so if you google ‘Carcassonne’, you’ll be sure to find it !

We spent the whole day there, strolling around the narrow, medieval streets of the ancient city, visiting the amazing castle, and walking along its fortified ramparts with stunning panoramic views across the lower township and countryside.

Afterward we discovered a superb restaurant for lunch, with a table situated in dappled sunlight under ancient olive trees, set in medieval surroundings oozing age-old history. A perfect time. A beautiful place !

www.purefrancenow.com

Next stop : Salvador Dali’s Country – His Theatre-Musée in Figueres, and his house in Cadaqués. So look out for our blog enroute to Barcelona !

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ECO -ARCHITECTS TURNING TO WOODEN HOMES IN FRANCE, AND THE ROANNAIS

purefrancenow — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:55:22 +0000

A bit of news relating to ecology and property build here in France!

We've been tracking the growing interest in all things ecological regarding house-building in France.

A recent article in 'The Connexion' newspaper ( aimed at expats, and people wanting to live or holiday in France – we have a link to their website on our home page), has highlighted the increasing number of wood houses being built across France. Sales are up 50% since 2000.

Apparently, following last year's government's 'Grenelle de l'environnement' wooden houses' ability to reduce energy consumption has seen architects and builders take an even greater interest in the idea.

The article in The Connexion goes on to say that benefits to the home owner include an average 30% saving on electricity bills due to the natural insulation properties of wood.

The buildings are also seen as blending better into a natural landscape and can be combined with building materials such as steel, glass and stone.

In 2006 these houses represented just 4% of the market.

Now 20% of manufacturers say they would consider using wood for construction. The homes cost 15-30% more compared to properties made with concrete and traditional building materials, because most of the wood is imported.

Italian architect Antonino Cascio has built a five-bedroom wooden house (images featured), with a south-facing glass front, in a forest in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the Alpes-Maritimes.

The glass front looks over a wooded landscape and swimming pool.

A wooden platform was built in front of the house which left the roots of surrounding trees intact and was built around any large trees growing up through the terrace.

Mr Cascio's wife Renèe said: "We did not want to use concrete as this would have cut into the tree roots.

With the trees growing through the terrace, it feels a bit like living in a nest."

The northern wall of the house which receives less sun, is built from wood panelling, with very small windows.

The wood used for the exterior framework, interior wooden staircase and parquet floor is imported from Africa.

The east and west façades of the house are built on a wooden frame with ochre-coloured plaster matching the red colour of the stones of the region, replacing a costly all-wood finish.

A sloping roof prevents a build-up of falling leaves.

Estelle Phillips, The Connexion, also writes that other popular wooden house models include a house in the Var which fits against a rock wall and recently won first prize at the "Salon européen du bois" (wooden home exhibition) held in Grenoble.

Another type made in Yvelines (Ile de France) mixes ideas used in the construction of Australian colonial houses and Feng Shui – the concept of a feeling of well-being created through the position of objects in the home.

Le Cuvage

Brian and Lucy Franklin's 'Le Cuvage' home in the Roannais, Rhone-Alpes also pays passing homage to wood-built property.

This former wine-making barn has been carefully renovated, restored, and architecturally designed with the overall intention of keeping many of its redeeming ecological features.

The south-facing facade being fundamentally retained from the original building, apart from the obvious introduction of new window and door openings.

The ancient outer structure of the walls were built traditionally of 'pisé' ( basically a natural mud and soil compacted surface applied over rough-cut local red stone.

The original walls being over 2 feet thick, with excellent insulation properties. the exterior pisé was sealed before a natural, pisé-coloured render was applied.

They now, therefore, have rooms that are desirably cool in the hot summer months, and heartingly warming during the frequently very cold winters.

All the main wooden roof structure and wood beams were retained, and at the rear on the north-facing facade where part of the original sloping roof was cut away to create a large

10m x 45m terrace, local pine wood cladding was used in conjunction with large 10-foot, black aluminium windows to create a natural, but contemporary 'look', as well as bringing the early morning light into the vast interior spaces.

Their, locally famous French Architect, Daniel Faisant, ensured the whole exterior look was in keeping with the local region.

The north façade, with magnificent views over the foothills of The Beaujolais, was designed to both blend in with this countryside landscape, and provide maximum light.

Brian Franklin said: "We get the best of both worlds here, traditional French character farm-building at the front, and a real 'taste' of modern contemporary-style living at the back!

It's absolutely great!"

He explains: " When our guests arrive during the summer period many of them cannot believe how light and spacious the place is, and how high the beamed ceilings are – over 15 feet!"

A photo, to be fair, like the ones featured here, cannot do 'Le Cuvage' justice',

Seeing is believing!

You can also rent 'Le Cuvage' throughout the year, so for more information visit Brian and Lucy's dedicated website to the Roannais at: www.purefrancenow.com

Pure France Now » France

The Roannais to Medieval Carcassonne! by Brian Franklin

ECO -ARCHITECTS TURNING TO WOODEN HOMES IN FRANCE, AND THE ROANNAIS