MEDIEVAL HOUSE

A rarity to discover not far from the Marais Vernier! Imagine a half-timbered building, beautifully restored, and which has literally been moved, dismantled and reassembled from one village to another! In the nearby town of Selles, this building, built by English carpenters around 1420 during the Hundred Years’ War, was threatened with demolition due to its obsolescence. However, it is the only example in France of a gatehouse (entrance to a domain) made of wooden panels: the ground floor included a large covered passage for carts and a single room. Upstairs, a staircase and an external gallery served two rooms that formed the doorman’s dwelling, heated by a wooden fireplace and cob covered with chestnut shingles.

In 1996, the municipality of Saint-Sulpice de Grimbouville decided to have this beautiful building transported to its home to install its new town hall, built on a hill and overlooking the Marais de la Risle maritime. The restoration, carried out using traditional techniques and combining old buildings and contemporary volumes, is remarkable.