Bordeaux Traditional Echoppe Houses
The term échoppe bordelaise could be translated as an 'echoppe house from Bordeaux', in the Aquitaine region of France. This is a property style widespread all over the city. In France and worldwide, an échoppe is a workshop, but in Bordeaux, those typical properties have another usage: inhabitants of Bordeaux simply live in échoppes.
History
Numerous quarters in Bordeaux have their own specific streets with échoppes. They were originally devoted to working classes, but became over the centuries bourgeoise houses. Nowadays, they are still often inhabited by upper-class people. The 1995 census revealed that about 11,000 échoppes could be found in Bordeaux.
As of the 15th century, Bordeaux comprised échoppes whose use was professional and residential (tradesmen and craftsmen used to work and live there). During the 18th century, the use became almost only residential: they were transformed in town houses.
Picture of an Echoppe in Bordeaux   |
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Architecture and layout
Echoppes are vary diversified, as the materials used to build them. Cut limestone is generally used but windows and doors' frames are often decorated differently, often decorated with refined sculpted designs. The roof is generally covered with tiles.
Built between 1850 and 1930,
échoppes bordelaises are single storey houses. As such houses traditionally had no upper floor, their inhabitants built their property in depth, which implies that the buildings usually encroached upon the garden at the rear. Although
échoppes bordelaises are devoid of upper floors, they however have a cellar on the street side of the house where coal and firewood can be stored.
Two main types of
échoppes can be distinguished:
- Simples échoppes: with a 5/6 metre long front wall, they have a corridor leading to a bedroom on the street side, a dark room and a common room on the courtyard side.
- Doubles échoppes: they have a wider front wall (8/10m long) and a central corridor leading to several rooms on both sides.
Top Tip!
Echoppes in Bordeaux have many similarities with other popular houses built at the same time in south-west cities of France. For instance,
traditional houses in Toulouse have the same rectangular shape than the
échoppes bordelaises and are also one-storey properties.
are equipped with a garden in the back and a well. The garden was originally used either as a vegetable garden or had simply a decorative purpose.
Refined front decoration   |
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