Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building at 11 rue de la Ferrage in Nîmes dates from the 17th century and forms part of a set of houses bordering this street, formerly connected to the dock of the Canal de l'Agau. These buildings housed dyers, whose workshops benefited from the proximity of water for their craft activities. The house is distinguished by a sober but elegant facade, marked by a pedestrian door with a straight lintel decorated with crossettes, framed with pilasters with ionic capitals decorated with fruits and garlands.

The entrance door, consisting of two unequal vants, has a four-panel dormant and a opening centered around a lozenged panel, probably designed for a handle that is now extinct. The front of the door is interrupted by a prominent painting, surmounted by a ledge. These architectural elements, typical of the seventeenth century, reflect the importance of artisanal activities in the Nîmes of the time. The portal, including its vantals, was inscribed in the Historic Monuments by order of February 22, 1964, highlighting its heritage value.

The location of the building, close to the Agau Canal, illustrates the historical link between the Nîmes town planning and water trades, such as dyeing. The houses on this street testify to a spatial organisation where housing and professional activity coexisted, characteristic of pre-industrial cities. Today, although the workshops have disappeared, the facade preserves traces of this artisanal past, offering an overview of the economic and social life of Nîmes in the seventeenth century.

External links