Troyes The Timbered Buildings of
Troyes The Timbered Buildings of
Troyes lies in the French region of Champagne. The town’s history is described here https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troyes#History. I was struck by the sheer volume of timber-framed buildings in the town centre, dating from the sixteenth century, when they were rebuilt after a disastrous fire. In the 1960s, a major and ongoing restoration programme was undertaken (on one building we translated the carved Roman numeral inscription MCMLXXXVI as 1986), and it is interesting to note that many of the buildings have been adapted for modern economic uses such as retail, restaurants and offices. To quote, I think, Malcolm Fraser, “The best use for a historic building is a use”. He is correct, and in Troyes the success of that strategy is evident. It was challenging to photograph in such constrained narrow streets, so the usual convention of corrected verticals had to be abandoned. Not that every timbered building in Troyes has many true verticals ..... all part of their undoubted appeal.
Colin McLean June 2016
73 Whitehaugh Park, Peebles EH45 9DB, Scotland T +44 7121 788005 M +44 7980 750301 colin@colinmcleanphotography.com www.colinmcleanphotography.com