Berry Traditional Architecture

Berry traditional houses are foremost half-timbered properties. The woods used for half-timbering are refined and often of diverse colours, giving the area a strong local character when it comes to traditional houses.

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The rural heartland of the Berry area offers plenty of these half timbered houses, especially in picturesque medieval villages. Berry Colombage Houses often come with a nice piece of land attached to the house (except urban properties). This half-timbered style is a legacy of the Middle Ages. Some exquisite examples of half timbering can then be found in Bourges, having superbly resisted the rigours of 2nd WW. The dominant material used in the Centre region of France is cob. Some Berry half timbered houses have a corbelling structure, giving more space to the upper floors’ rooms. The walls are filled using cob, only then is the floor and the roof structure built. The wooden framework is naturally strong and rigid once erected; the strength of the structure can also be supplemented using wood plugs. Screws or nails are never used in the traditional carpentry techniques of half-timbering.

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A corbel is in this case a piece of wood jutting out of a wall to carry the superincumbent weight of the floor above. This is a technique used since Neolithic times – late Stone Age (around 3,500 BC): this is actually a traditional construction method in the region.

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• Next: Berry Pigeonniers / Dovecotes
• Summary of Traditional Properties in the Centre Region