Maisons à pans de bois

Since the earthquakes in the 15th century, timber-framed houses became rare in the metropolitan area of Clermont Auvergne. At Pont-du-Château, three of these houses can still be seen and are protected as Historic Monuments.

Timber-framed houses are rare in the Clermont Auvergne metropolitan area. Most of them did not survive the earthquakes of 1477 and 1490. Following this destruction, it was common from the early 16th century to build houses using Volvic stone.

At numbers 2 and 14 rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville and 1 place de la Liberté, three of these houses can still be seen. They are three storeys high. The first level made from Volvic stone provides the solid base of the building, and houses the boutique with its basket handle arch. The upper floors, separated by plate beams, feature a structure with vertical timber beams in the form of the Saint Andrew’s cross, with windows fashioned in them. The spaces between the timber beams are filled with hollow-core slab (light masonry made from stone, brick and limestone) or wattle and daub (earth and straw). The floors are built with a corbel arch structure, overlooking the street so as to save space in the tight confines of medieval cities. At 14 rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, the timber-framed house has retained its fire-resistant stone wall, to the right of its façade, which isolates it from the neighbouring house in the event of fire. They have been listed as a historic monuments since 1962 and 1963.

A few other timber-framed houses can be seen in Montferrand, such as the monumental house of the apothecary, at the corner of rue Jules Guesde and rue de la Rodade.