10 sheets find

Traditionally, village houses rarely had a private outdoor area or garden. Their walls were sometimes adorned with a climbing rose, a trellis or a wisteria. A fruit-tree or a perhaps a lime

Conserving our architectural heritage means knowing how to find out how the building evolved and how it was affected by those who lived in it. Old houses must be seen in the context of their period, which is why we must try to determine when they were built
Discovering a building’s history is no longer a specialist affair: here, with the help of Claudine Pailhès – Director of the Ariège District Archive – you can find clues, help and advice on how to find your way around the historical sources available, whether public records or private archives.

Half-timbered houses or timber-framed houses have two main parts: a wooden frame and the studwork

When you join an association whose aim is the conservation of our built heritage, you are joining a network where you can get advice, share your enthusiasm and discover new horizons

The purpose of any project relating to a historic building must be clearly determined at the outset, so as to avoid any possible confusion.

Whether delineating boundaries (courtyard, garden, field, lane, square etc.) or providing support for terraced fields, these dry stone walls divide up the Ariège landscape and emphasise its contours.

The Ariège landscape is dotted with a great many small buildings, bearing witness to the daily activities which were part of the rural, social and cultural life of previous generations.

The Ariège landscape is dotted with a great many small buildings, bearing witness to the daily activities which were part of the rural, social and cultural life of previous generations.

Restoring minor rural historic buildings and conserving the rural infrastructure – wash houses, mills, railways, shoeing frames, crosses, footbridges…

Barns and stables were roofed with thatch made from rye straw in days gone by, as it cost little and was always available.