La Maison de la Fontaine Chambres d’ Hôtes de charme

1 rue de la Fontaine 64190 Araux

France

House—History & Restoration

2

The history of the house The exact origins of the house are not known but it seems very likely that there has been an important and strategic house on this site from mediaeval times (Araux was already an important village in 1223 when records began). The oldest part of the house is thought to be what are now the music salon and, above it, La Chambre Amèrique Sud.

The music salon was probably a barn for one or two animals as well as a living, cooking, eating and washing space for the family and the bedroom above it would originally have been a room where the whole family slept, enjoying the warmth of the animals on cold winter nights. In the restoration of the house, there was evidence of a stone arched doorway where the west window in the music salon now is and the broken small stone window on the left

3

of the front door suggests that what is now the sèjour was a later addition.

The sèjour and the bedroom above it, La Chambre Asie, are thought to date from the 16th century. The stone sink is original and would have been used as the main washing and food preparation area. Cooking would have been on open fires of wood in the main fireplace, which retains an original wooden lintel and stone corbels.

Unfortunately, the poorly thought out insertion of an arch to the right of the fireplace in the 1960’s led to the chimney moving slightly and the new stone legs are part of the work done to stabilise this. During restoration there was evidence of a staircase to the left of the fireplace and the stone

4

surrounds of the door through to the kitchen indicated that at one time this was an important entrance to the house, possibly the main entrance as, being located on the eastern side it would have been protected from the prevailing westerly winds and storms. The original floor was stone but, over time had become dangerously cracked and uneven and also was very damp and cold. These stones have been cut to form the terraces. Water was brought to the house initially from the river opposite the house and, later, from the well, which is 14 metres deep, usually with around 2 metres of water in it. What is now La Chambre Asie was probably a single bedroom for the whole family. The loft space was used for grain storage for family and animals.

What is now the kitchen, boiler room and study with the Orient and Les demoiselles bedrooms above it, was probably a 18th Century addition to accommodate an expanding family. However, the ground floor walls of the study are immensely thick stone and there is some evidence that this was possibly a much older barn which was incorporated into the main house when it was extended.

5

The tower loo was a modcon of the 18th century – there was much kudos to be had from having an internal toilet to avoid having to go outside on cold wet winter nights and frosty winter mornings! The original toilet would have been made out of wood and emptied directly into the base of the tower. During the restoration the service hatch for emptying the tower of human waste was found about half a metre below ground level. The remains were spread on the kitchen garden and have proved to be an excellent fertilizer!

6

Plaster ceilings and ornate plaster reveals found in this section of the house indicate that it was at this time a house of considerable standing. Unfortunately much of this plasterwork had deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and has been lost, though the plasterwork on the fireplace in…..is original. Old, but high quality, plumbing and electrical services of the 1930’s suggest that the house enjoyed a prosperous period then – as the post office—in stark contrast to the early 1800s when crop failure and famine led many of the locals to migrate to Argentina.

Outside the house the well was probably dug in the 18th century – it would have taken two men about a year to dig and line which shows how much importance was attached to a local supply of good drinking water. The foundations of the well – house and the bottom metre of each wall are original and the irregular shape was a feature of the original shed. It is not known what the shed was used for but, in the last 50 years it is known to have been used for washing and keeping pigs. The oldest barn (possibly 16th century) is the eastern section of the main barn, its slightly bulging walls are testament to its age as is the small and very old stone arch. The quality of building is very high—the herringbone patterning of the cailloux and the crepis is far superior to that of the main

7

house and this reflects the greater importance given then to good, strong and secure barns in which to store food for the future than houses in which to live. The centre and western barns are a later addition (probably 18th century) and, linking the two there is what are now internal remains of an old stone arch which may very well have been the entrance to the original barn. The east barn was certainly used for the over wintering and milking of cows as there was evidence of cow stalls and cow feeders. The atelier is also probably 16th century from the stone arch although this section of the barn has clearly been added to in later years. It was at some stage used as accommodation for a labourer (cowherd?), for the keeping of doves and pigeons (stones are set into the wall for birds to perch on) and for the keeping of pigs. Within the grounds there is evidence of further ancient buildings and the vegetable garden east wall is built on old foundations. There was a range of maize cages —similar to those in the field next door—where the swimming pool now is but these were rotten and demolished in the early

8

stages of the restoration. One other point of interest outside is the old right of way, marked on many current maps but difficult to find traces of today, running along the southern boundary of the property which leads from the centre of the lower part of the village to what would have been the valley road and the river. This could well have been used for the transportation of water, wood and stone into the village. The house is known to have had a varied and interesting history. Apart from being an important maison de maitre the eastern part has served as the village post office, a charcuterie and, in the early days of freezers as the village freezer centre! During the second world war locals tell of stories of escaping allied forces hiding in the house (in the base of the tower) or in the pit underneath the wine press (now filled in for reasons of safety). Up until 1960 the house was owned by a family in Biarritz and then by the Salomon family until 2003 when the present owners bought it and began a 5 year period of restoration.

Restoration of the house When the house was purchased in 2003 by the present owners it existed as two separate houses, one occupied and one derelict, not having been used for some 60 years. The occupied house was also in a semi derelict state, the roof on the eastern barn had collapsed, the centre and western barns were derelict, the well house had lost its roof and fallen down, the main beams in the barns and ateliers were rotten and the entire first floor of the barn was rotten. There was little in the way of garden and the whole property was bereft of modern services.

9

It is always difficult to know how to restore an old house. By the very nature of history the people in a house and how they use it changes over time. In our restoration we have tried to leave what we feel is representative of what would have been when the house was perhaps at its peak as a maison de maitre in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Hence we have retained as much old timber as possible, as much old stone as possible and as much in the way of what we understand the original layout to have been. Hence 1960’s plaster ceilings and tiled floors have been removed. New windows and shutters have been installed in what we hope is a sympathetic style and modern services and facilities reflect, as they did in former times, best practice of today. We would like to express our grateful thanks to and pay tribute to the skills and dedication of all the Béarn artisans who have made this transformation of our house possible. Unstintingly hard working and invariably of good humour they are (in alphabetical order):

Barthalou Bourguet Carricart

Durbordieu Jaureguiberry

Laberthe Lambert Lassalle

Marimbordes Robin

Roumas

And very special thanks to the Equippe – they know who

10

Restoration 2004—2008

11

12

13

14

15

16