Lignières: Then and Now

Now we've advanced a bit further up the gentle hill of the Rue de Fin de Forel from the last stop, looking back at the building (Rue des Eussinges 2, RACN 010-6456-00066) and fountain (RACN 010-6456-00217) which figured so prominently in that view.

There is no indication of a date for the “then” picture. It must date from after 1894, since that's when the fountain was built, but that's about all one can say, apart from the observation that it was apparently a cow holiday, judging from the four footed residents strolling the streets of Lignières.

The large building at the very left (Rue de Fin de Forel 4, RACN 010-6456-00225) appears, based on the style of construction, to have been built in the first half of the 19th century, probably after the fire of 1832. It has been extensively remodelled, and a number of changes are apparent between the “then” and “now” pictures.

Further down the street is the attached structure at (Rue de Fin de Forel 2, RACN 010-6456-00070). The keystone of the arch in the door at the left bears the date 1833, when the building, then a rural dwelling, was rebuilt the year after the fire. This building is home to the present-day Lignières post office—the yellow and white sign is visible above and to the left of the door; a closer view is above. This is the fifth site the post office has occupied over the years spanned by these photographs (1, 2, 3, 4).

At the very right one of two adjacent granaries built of stone and wood is partially visible. This building (Rue de Fin de Forel 3, RACN 010-6456-00224) is known to have been present in 1872, but may be (at least the stone part) much older—the adjacent building (RACN 010-6456-00223, not visible from this location), of similar construction, bears the date 1728.

This is another of those cases in which it is impossible to recreate the perspective of the “then” photo. A building now stands on the location where the original photographer stood, so I had no option but to photograph the scene from substantially closer, which visibly alters the relationships between the buildings in the “now” picture.