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Our home,
This house, built at the end of the 16C, is typical of local buildings at this time. The owners had been tanners since the beginning of the 16C and according to the district registry office the first person to be born here, was called Antoine Fabre who lived to be a hundred years old (1599-1699) and had been born in the reign of Henri IV. The tannery as well as dressing and tanning skins kept a check on the breeding of cattle. They were considered to be amongst the higher echelons of local crafts people and were part of the middle-class of Provence . Without ostentation, they nevertheless aspired to a large and comfortable homes. This building has examples of tiles made in Annot at the local tile works. These terra cotta tiles are almost all from the 18C and were fixed using red plaster onto original flagstones from the time the house was built ; the huge, chesnut beams are of the same period as the low wooden ceiling in the bedroom. The building was constructed of local sandstone with thick walls of between 50 and 80 cms which were then covered in local red plaster as can be seen on the entrance hall ceiling. The outside of the walls were left untouched but time has mellowed the colours. It was only at the end of 19C that they were covered by rough cast which was then often painted in the style of the “génoise” which is considered perhaps to be in bad taste. The 1 st floor windows were large to allow for light to enter but were kept small on other floors to keep the house cool in summer. Until the 18C there were no panes of glass but just oiled paper made from animal bladder skin. Glass was only used in religious buildings. The fireplaces were only to be found in the kitchen and spread some warmth in the evening. The mantel piece was restored during the last century during the seventies in a purely local style. The bin on the right was for the embers to allow them to stay alight all through the night to rekindle the fire in the morning and is as old as the house itself. The outside shutters made from chestnut appeared during the 19C as before they were only on the inside as can be seen on all 3 windows in the bedroom. The south facing window is a splendid example of a sandstone mullion as old as the house and has never been restored.
The furniture was spartan until the 18C with a cupboard for linen and clothing, two large bins for flour and corn, a kneading trough to prepare bread which was baked in the communal village oven. There were a few fireside chairs, benches and one or two heavy tables to complete the furniture. The beds were simply made from large crates on legs which were then filled with straw or dead leaves to make mattresses which were changed once a year. A thick heavy cotton piqué cover and eiderdown were necessary to keep warm and to be able to sleep in these freezing rooms. The internal and external doors were made of chestnut or walnut and were not very high as local people were not as tall as today. Now some of us must be careful and lower our heads By the 18C in this region a middle class home contained some more refined pieces of furniture such as dressers, armchairs or a grandfather clock. The clock you can see here dates from the beginning of the 19C and continues to function with it s original mechanism intact. In the house is an example of a closed cupboard in which can be found an earth fired sink with a direct link to the gutter in the street, something which is rarely seen. In keeping with 18C habits, there was no wash stand but once a month, all the family took a bath in a huge tub, usually a cask, full of tepid water which was wed by them all. You will also find many objects of daily use which are locally made and have been used by the occupants for a long time. We hope you will see all the improvements made for your visit which are necessary for the comfort of your stay. We have tried to keep alive the feeling of nostalgia and the prevailing character of the house as it was and has always been.
We hope you will stay with us here for a long time and we wish you a marvellous time in Annot.
Nathalie et Jean-Louis
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