Informations directionnelles

Laisser la place et remonter la rue de Gadancourt. Aux dernières maisons, prendre à gauche par le chemin. Emprunter la route goudronnée sur environ 150 mètres et prendre le premier chemin à gauche. Un peu plus loi se trouve la table de lecture des paysages.

Agricultural activities
They mark the landscape and the organisation of the village

 

 

Agricultural activities...

The 'Grande Ferme' and the 'Ferme des Fossés' are the two main agricultural operations in Avernes. They belonged to the same seigniory which covered around 102 hectares in 1697. Until the mid-twentieth century, production was varied and served mainly as a source of animal fodder. The crops grown were wheat, rye, barley, oats, hops, potatoes, fodder beet, sugar beet, clover, alfalfa, sainfoin and legumes (peas and vetch). There were many orchards growing apples and pears for cider. And there were a great many animals: numbers in the late nineteenth century stood at 783 sheep, 170 cows, 89 horses, 20 pigs, 6 goats, 1,000 fowl, 600 rabbits... and even 95 beehives. Nowadays, production revolves around cereal crops (wheat, maize, barley, colza and sunflowers).

 

 

...in traditional farms

This large farm, with its traditional eighteenth-century architecture, consists of a series of conjoined buildings enclosing a huge rectangular farmyard. The dates engraved in the stone on the cornice of a barn (1718) and above a walled pedestrian gateway (1728) are still legible to this day. The constructions were designed to meet the needs of farming practices in those bygone times. Consequently, you will see the old hay barns, the stables and the cart sheds where equipment was stored. These buildings gradually ceased to be suitable for farming purposes as farming practices evolved, farm machinery increased massively in size, livestock dwindled and the areas farmed expanded. Additionally, since the farm is located in the village centre, there was no possibility of either expanding it or constructing more suitable buildings.