New gem on the block

The Hôtel de Beaucé was built in 1554 by a rich Protestant merchant, Jean de Beaucé, in Poiters. For quite a while now it has been undergoing a careful and, by the looks of it, sympathetic restoration. Wrapped in netting, it has been hard to see what was being done. Now however, the netting is coming off and the scaffolding is being taken down. There's just the section on the left of the photo which is still up.

Hôtel de Beaucé May 2013

It is a lovely building with its turreted spiral staircase. The turret [or tower] which houses the staircase harks back to the Middle Ages when this was a common feature of fortified dwellings as they were easier to defend. However, the windows spiralling up as they follow the corkscrew stairs are large and typically Renaissance and make it very appealing.

The lucarnes [dormer windows] are heavily ornamented; decoration which is very typical of the architectural style which was current during the reigns of Francois Ier and Henri II.

In 1558 the residence was the location of the first symposium which led to the founding of the reformed [Protestant] church in France. In 1561 the second synod of the French Protestant church was held in Poitiers.

Currently the building is privately owned and split into a series of apartments. Finding a photo of the Hôtel before restoration began just shows how much of an improvement has been made. We'll put up some more photos once the restoration is completely finished.

Hotel de Beaucé is marked in red

In front of the Hôtel de Beaucé they've installed a fountain which we think is lovely. It is very simple and offsets the building behind it very well. In fact, the whole area round the back of the Hôtel de Ville is undergoing something of a face lift. On the front gates of the Hôtel de Beaucé there's a small panel showing the layout of the quarter at the time of Napoleon. The Hôtel de Ville [Mairie], which was built in the 19th century is superimposed in outline. In the 'before' photo of the Hôtel de Beaucé below you can just see the back gates of the Mairie on the right.

Before: Hôtel de Beaucé in 2011 

© Wikipedia Commons

How nice to be able to live in an historic building such as this. Although we suspect the inhabitants will be very pleased when all the work has finally been completed!