Return to rural France - in spring time
Spring ... a touch of warmth ... and flowers …
Away from Paris – 90 minutes by train – I spend time in rural France. It is the beginning of spring 2025. A spring holiday in Romilly with an 89-year-old aunt. Just Jeanne … et moi!
In the Normandy region of northern France, you will find the half-timbered house, or maison à colombages. The origins of half-timbered houses in Normandy date back to the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries and remained popular through the Renaissance and into the 17th century. The key architectural features include timber framing with infill, steep slate roofs with dormer windows, small dormer windows (lucarnes), brick foundations and lower walls. The beams were arranged in decorative patterns, such as crosses, diagonals, and verticals, with the spaces filled by white lime plaster, brick, or stone.
Normandy’s half-timbered houses are often seen as the inspiration for the Tudor style in England, brought across the Channel by Norman influence. Traditional homes often included an external clock which acted as both a timepiece for the household and a decorative feature. The use of a gravel driveway lined with flowers and a mix of manicured and wild gardens is also very typical of rural Normandy properties. The thatched building in the background is likely a chaumière — another traditional Normandy feature, used as stables or guest cottages.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
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