There is a well-known saying that an Englishman’s home is his castle – a love for privacy and a patch of personal territory on our overcrowded island is perhaps the explanation of this notion – but since moving to France we have been more than a little impressed by the Frenchman’s approach to presenting and protecting his habitat. Whether the same is true in all regions I cannot say but here in Charente the concept of the entrance to one’s home and especially the garden gate, takes on a whole new dimension and meaning.
The traditional Charentaise house was built in local limestone with an entrance ‘porche’ or arched stone gateway to the courtyard or garden. Often the gates are made of wood, fill the whole of the arch and come in monumental sizes. Even village houses have fine examples and on a recent visit to the local village of Bors, I was struck by this splendid gate leading off the main street, complete with an access door – which gives some idea of the scale – and decades worth of layers of peeling paint and time-worn texture.
I have included a photo of the house next door for good measure, as I liked the peeling paint and colours here too, although I’m not sure the gates belong to it.
Many thanks as always to Norm for hosting the Thursday Doors Challenge.
ALL PHOTOS © JANE MORLEY
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View from a French Hillside 
Great doors and windows!
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Cheers Timothy!
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Completely wonderful! I adore the first shot– the peeling pain and curved door~ love,love,love— like always! ❤
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Many thanks west – good to hear from you -hope all is fine & dandy chez toi! 😀 🙂
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It’s …..ok– must catch up on twitter or chat soon~ how’s your boutique??
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Boutique very quiet but got my new website done for it – http://www.galeriedelamaison.com tell me what you think! 🙂
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Luscious!
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Cheers Sarah, luscious is good!
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amazing beautiful textures and simply love the photos of doors and houses.
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Many thanks indeed, so glad you like them!
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I love taking pictures of doors and windows! 🙂
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They’re always full of inspiration!
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yes, they are!
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Reblogged this on M o o r e z a r t.
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Thank you Douglas!
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Such interesting doors, Jane. I love the ‘distressed’ look. 🙂
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Can never resist the peeling paint and rough textures!
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I have a ‘thing’ for doors too. Not entirely sure why. I know others do too. I think it’s a photographers trait. What is the ‘matt’ finish on your photos. Is this applied in post? Saturation or vibrancy set low? I love it.
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Thank you Saxon! I don’t like too much post processing but I do like this sort of matt film look for the old things I photograph, so I just turn down/flatten the black and white levels.
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