What's behind that door?

What's behind that door, we asked the owner of what eventually became Maison Tigre, looking at a small, badly fitted wooden door at the end of the hallway.

We knew there was some sort of building next to the main house but had no idea what it was or what state it was in. 'Oh you can’t go in there,' she said 'it's far too dangerous! It used to be the village cobblers but the roof and floors have collapsed and it's just a pile of rubble.'

And, as the pictures show, that’s exactly what it was.

Lots of old pairs of children's and adult shoes...

When we got round to renovating that part of the property, the builders found lots of old pairs of children's and adult shoes scattered among the debris.

Our renovation of the village cobblers has become something of a talking point in the village and quite often some of the more elderly ladies will stop as they pass our gates and have a chat with us about how they used to work there or were taken there to have their shoes repaired.

The old cobblers is now our living room...

The old cobblers is now our living room and loggia and there is no physical evidence of its history left. But we are pleased that those memories are still part of village life and that they are happy to stop and pass the time of day and reminisce about what used to be.

View the property.