Pays de la Loire Bourrine Houses and Architecture

The ancient peasant dwelling in Pays de Loire is called Bourrine. It is a traditional property generally found in marsh areas. Generally its architecture demands that it comprises one large single room. Always fitted with a chimney, it is a very simple house.

The pieces of furniture are made of wood in most cases. As usual in these Pays de la Loire family houses, the fireplace was a strategic place in the house where people gathered during evenings, long winters and when there was a family event.

The Bourrine is traditionally built with local materials only being an authentic collection of mud buildings covered in reeds, a remainder of life in the Vendée Breton Marshes in the early years of last century.

It consists of the cottage itself called the bourrine, which has been restored, and a large number of surrounding buildings which, thanks to evidence of various kinds, have been rebuilt as they once were.

The group of buildings is situated in a privileged environment on the edge of the marshes, an area rich in the protected plant life of the dunes.

The term Bourrine also refers to a Vendee traditional farm. The material used to create the traditional Bourrine’s walls is a sort of Pisé, basically being rammed earth, melt with water. The Bourrine’s particular shape recalls a bit the architecture of a Camargue House, the famous Gardian house.

An explanation for this could be found in their common goal to be built modestly, cheaply and simply, with local materials, and to resist the strong winds originating from the sea.

The top of the roof is usually made of whitewash to strengthen the structure of the property. This technique is derived from the famous Pisé (rammed earth/ cobwork) techniques, using earth and water to build traditional houses in France.

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