Normandy's Traditional Longeres

Longeres are a property typical of Normandy and are not found in such abundance in any other region of France except Brittany. Below is a description of the Normandy Longere, without doubt a most charming and incredibly sought-after type of house found in France. Buying such a house is possible and still affordable, just have a look at these outstanding offers and these ones, some longeres currently available on the Internet French Property website.

Typical Normandy longère property

The longère is one of the most typical French and Normandy property types. It is predominantly a rural property type found in all departments of Normandy. It is traditionally built in a rectangular shape. The name itself means rectangular shape in French. Traditionally each longere was given a local Normandy name when it was built.

• The longere is traditionally oriented with the back of the house facing the dominant wind direction. Similarily to other traditional properties in France, regional materials were often used to build a Longere. Granite is typically used in the construction of Longeres throughout Normandy and other regions of France.
• Many longères only offer single-storey accommodation. Often the attic is converted into a first floor accommodation to increase the total living area available. Originally, the stairs used to access that attic were located outside the main part of the Longere house to save a considerable amount of space inside the house itself.
• Longere houses are not only common in Normandy but also found in Brittany, Aquitaine, and other areas of western France, particularily in the Pays de la Loire to the south.
• The “maison longère”, or longère, is definitely typical of Normandy’s rural architecture. In most cases, a longere is a rural house or dwelling and is a common sight across the Normandy countryside.
• Normandy Longeres often have thatched or slated roofs. Thus they melt the length of the longeres with the particular style given by the use of thatch to build roofs.

A typical Longere property

• As you can see from the photos, the particularity of Longères is that all the outbuildings are laid out in a row. Thus there is no real farmyard or courtyard area in front of the house. This a common feature that distinguishes the Longere from most other rural farm dwellings found in France.

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