The dwelling is tucked away in the Saint-Nicolas district of Tarascon. It is a typical example of a traditional Provençal town house. Several generations of local merchants lived in this dwelling for a whole century.

The house was probably built not long after the French Revolution at a time when a merchant class was starting to thrive, gaining wealth from famous fairs and markets in the local region.

The facade has been entirely restored with old-style rendering on the ground floor. An even pattern of limestone blocks with pointing is left exposed on the first and second floors. Like most houses in this historical district of Tarascon, the dwelling was built with Fontvieille limestone on the remains of pre-existing Roman and medieval constructions.

Inside, the edifice has kept several original decorative features from the Middle Ages, including an even bond of stonework in the load-bearing walls, strong arched lintels above doors and intriguing vaulted passages.

Outside, on the street, the house proudly displays its large, thick shutters. These shutters, made of wood and painted, are typical of the Arlesian style and they characterise Provence’s age-old craftsmanship. The shutter above the main entrance has kept its little hatch, or spy hole, which would be looked through, without the observer being noticed, to see who was knocking at the door when all the shutters were closed.

The house is nestled on a calm pedestrian street in the town centre. This road is an integral part of a symmetrical layout that offers a harmonious urban view: your gaze is drawn to a baroque theatre in a former chapel of the Order of Preachers and a small square beside it. Both were recently restored masterfully. Fine town houses stand along the main street that runs past the theatre and the square. The flagship site of a well-known firm of Provençal fabrics also lies on a nearby street. Tarascon is this firm’s historical birthplace.

The dwelling’s roof of old red barrel tiles has been restored. Much of the interior needs to be renovated.

The house

The house’s facade has been masterfully restored, but much of its interior needs to be refurbished. A future owner could revamp this dwelling inside, adding their own touches of comfort. The original historical architecture could be revealed throughout the home. In many places, it is simply concealed. Beneath the different wall coverings, the even bond of Fontvieille limestone is indeed still there, intact, as is a staircase of a dozen charmingly uneven steps of solid stone full of history that leads up from the entrance hall. And the interior’s medieval vaults have been carefully preserved too. All the historical authenticity of this old dwelling is here, ready to be showcased.

Purists may prefer to remove some of the interior’s 20th-century additions. Demolition of these incongruous modern features, or perhaps a tasteful adaptation of them, which might be less costly, could be considered when redesigning the place.

The ground floor
Many Provençal dwellings by the River Rhône used to be victims of flooding. So, the wooden entrance door beneath a glazed fanlight opens straight at the foot of a staircase of a dozen solid-stone steps, designed for people to get upstairs as quickly as possible. For the same reason, very few rooms lie on this ground floor, which offers a floor area of around 90m².

Immediately to the right of the staircase, there is a room that was used as a workplace for a professional practice until recently. Next, along a vaulted corridor that leads to the patio garden, there is a medieval part made up of three little storerooms. The floors are adorned with contemporary tiles and with old cement tiles patterned with arabesques.

The first floor
Historically, this first floor was used for daytime life during rises in the water level of the River Rhône. Yet even after these rises in water level were brought under control through dams built along the river, this floor continued to be the house’s main area for day-to-day living. The vast original kitchen is still in place. A dining room that looks like a sunroom has been adjoined to it. This dining room protrudes above the patio garden and rests upon columns of prestressed concrete. Indeed, you can walk straight down to the garden from the dining room via a contemporary metal staircase. Also on this first floor, there is a bedroom, a lavatory and a lounge with a remarkable fireplace from the 1970s that has an insert and is in working order. This first floor is liveable in its current state. Contemporary tiles adorn the floors and the walls are made of Fontvieille stone.

The second floor
This top floor was refurbished in the 1970s and 1980s, but its load-bearing walls, lintels and door surrounds have kept their Fontvieille stonework. A corridor connects to three bedrooms. The rest of the floor, an insulated loft space, includes a bathroom and a north-west terrace of around 15m². Like everywhere else in this house, the windows up here have PVC frames and double glazing and the shutters are made of solid wood. The different floors include carpet in good condition, contemporary tiling and wood strip flooring.