Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

This building located in Felletin, probably an ancient medieval hotel, has a characteristic 15th and 16th century architecture. His large work could go back to the 13th or 14th century, but his main transformations date from the late 15th or early 16th century, with the piercing of two windows decorated on the facade. The structure includes a vaulted cradle cellar, two square floors and a high floor, with a narrow elevation on street. The bays of the floors, with neat mouldings and lintels decorated with accolades, testify to a refined artisanal work. A moulded headband highlights the bay on the second floor, while the window on the first floor, transformed into a window holder, is equipped with a railing in ironwork.

In the 17th century, an interior staircase in masonry, with straight flights with core wall, replaced an older staircase (probably in frame or screw). The anterior façade, originally in a gable wall, was redesigned at an undetermined date, and minor modifications took place in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as the addition of interior panelling and the transformation of the first floor window. In 1817, the house belonged to François Chopineau Tibord. The ground floor, occupied by a hardware store at the beginning of the twentieth century (the "Bazar"), still houses a similar trade today.

The elements protected since 1964 include the street façade and its roof, covering architectural details such as slate windows, bay mouldings and the wrought iron balcony. This building illustrates the evolution of medieval urban homes, combining residential and commercial functions. Its history also reflects successive adaptations to the needs of owners and architectural styles, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

The wooden front of the ground floor, clad against the facade, and the interior fittings (lambing, integrated cabinets) date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The letters "VCF" visible on the wrought iron balcony remain unidentified in the available sources. The location of the building, at 35 or 37 Grande Rue, confirms its anchoring in the historic urban fabric of Felletin, Creuse.

The stone staircase leading to the vaulted cellar and the masonry staircase, located at the bottom of the building, are remarkable examples of local craftsmanship. Subsequent changes, although minor, preserved most of the medieval and Renaissance features, making this building a rare testimony to the civil architecture of the region.

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