Sentiers du Patrimoine ®
Montalet-le-Bois
Poursuivre jusqu’à la mairie.
Prochain point : Lat. 49.050577, Long. 1.821513
The hamlet of Les Férets now seems closely connected to the centre of Montalet-le-Bois, as the village expanded during the 20th century with modern housing built along the Route des Férets. However, historic maps show that in the 1820s, Les Férets was entirely separate from the main village. The hamlet consists of traditional buildings typical of the French Vexin: rural houses and farms arranged around rectangular courtyards. Most of the buildings line the Rue de la Lavandière, while two farms are also located along the Route des Férets.
The hamlet is crossed by the Férets stream, which flows shortly afterwards into the Bernon. A washhouse was once situated on the stream, undoubtedly facilitating laundry for the hamlet’s residents. Former wells within private properties also provided convenient access to water. The hamlet has kept, between the buildings and around, gardens, orchards, and wet meadows along the watercourses. This relatively open settlement pattern would have been common in the French Vexin around 1900, before the built environment became denser. The preservation of meadows is beneficial for biodiversity and also plays a role in regulating flooding and the drying of streams.
