Prochain point : lat="49.021657" lon="1.757623"
Léon Andrieux Wash House
For Fontenay (Fontiniacum), 'the living water comes up out of the earth'
Step over the stream...
According to the date engraved on one of the walls, this wash house was built in 1886. Situated at the bottom of the Rue Léon Andrieux, this long building follows the course of the Fontenay Stream, which flows continuously. It has a single row of washing stones and backs on to a stone wall. Five wooden posts support the wooden structure and the sloping roof is covered with interlocking roof tiles. To reach it, you have to use the stepping stones laid in the stream. During the renovation work, falsework was used to support the wooden posts and limit the risk of collapse, and the edges were strengthened with concrete.
...to get to the wash house
However plain or intricate, certain aspects of these wash houses are consistent. They may be built as an ensemble in conjunction with a fountain and/or a drinking trough. Their appearance is often pleasing. They vary in size depending on the number of users. Most of the buildings are built on wide foundations. They are built with local materials. Most of the sinks are rectangular and have a sloping stone side where the washing is washed. Although usually single, sinks can sometimes be double, providing separate sections for washing and rinsing.
