the heritage walking trails discovery booklet · the heritage walking trails discovery booklet when...

The heritage walking trailsDiscovery booklet

When there were sailors

on the Loire

MontsoreauCandes-Saint-Martin

PARC NATUREL RÉGIONAL LOIRE-ANJOU-TOURAINE

Our heritage has future

livret Candes Montsoreau anglais modifié_livret Candes Montsoreau 17/06/2014 21:03 Page 2

Montsoreau Candes-Saint-Martin

When there were sailors on the Loire

Meet at the stopping point, and set off following the markings...

D

8

When there were sailors on the Loire

Place du mailGood wind !

MONTSOREAU

1Quai de l’ancien portLand !

2Place Let’s

7

Château

rue Jehann

chemin du coteau

Haute rue

ruelle

des Ouches

Chemin du coteauThe call of the land

This production is the result of close cooperation between

two villages, Montsoreau and Candes-Saint-Martin, and their local association

two departments, Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loireand two regions, Centre and Pays de la Loire.

The destiny of these two towns changed dramatically with the disappearance ofthe Loire merchant fleet. Candes-Saint-Martin underwenta reduction in population from 664 in 1856 to 222 in 2009.

Montsoreau, which had 1097 inhabitants en 1851,had a mere 480 in 2010.


port

2Place des diligencesLet’s play

3

6

Quai Alexandre DumasThe moods of the river

Rue du puits Saint-MichelLiving on water and wine

4

5

Ruelle Saint-MartinPray for us

Rue des perrièresStone haulers

CANDES-SAINT-MARTIN

Collégiale

Panorama

Saint-Michel

rue du puits

rural

chemin

n°24

rue Nationale

rue Jehanne d’Arc

coteau

ruelle

des Ouches

du coteau f the land

1


When there were sailors on the LoireDid you know that for many years the Loire was anextraordinary place to live and work ? Let’s take ashort trip back in time. We are now in the secondhalf of the XIXth century and the river is crowdedwith a fleet of barges, tugs, cranes and flat-bottomed boats. These boats transported timber,wine, coal, blocks of stone anf fabrics. Look again,carefully. You see the lad leaning on the bridge of thebarge called " Va d’bon cœur " ? That’s Simon. Heearned the title " compagnon marinier "(professionallyqualidied mariner) a few months ago. Together withhis boss Jean, Simon sails the rivers earning his

living. Let’s go and meet him down at the quayside. He will gladly tell you all about the lifeof a Loire sailor.


4

Land !" We came from the sea port of Saint-Nazaire. We putin at Ponts-de-Cé wherewe took on a load of Trélazé slates. The West wind favoured us. The voyage wascalm. It isn’t always like that ! Look out behind you ! You’re in the way. Oh yes !There are crowds of people on the quay, Montsoreau is a very busy commercialport. I must go and help my boss unload. If you’d like to give us a helping hand,you’re more than welcome. If not, go and see “la place des diligences”. I’ll catch upwith you there. "

To help you find the stopping points ...

stopping point 1 Quai de l’ancien port


�The mooring-rings for river craft

�The quays Construction started in1858 and continued forsome thirty years. Builtlong and wide with twoslipway levels to enableoff-loading at high andlow water, they conside-rably improved delivryof goods at the port ofMontsoreau.

�The noiseBoats creaking, sailsflapping, the din of off-loading, shouting andcursing, the noise ofcarts, horses neighing...

�The smellsTrampled horsedroppings, the sweat ofman and beast, goodspiled up, saltpetre fromtufa stone, acrid woodsmoke, the mingledodeurs of wine andspirits ...

See , feel , imagine . . .

Match these goods with their point of origin

armes Le Puysucre Bretagne tuffeau Anjou sel Nevers faïences Saint-Étienne

Antilles (solution p. 20)

weaponssugartufasaltchina warelace

The Loire and its tributaries, comprisingin all 1600 km of waterways that arenavigable most of the year, together witha large canal network, transported allsorts og goods from the most remote areasin the provinces to major portssuch as Nantes,where boats thenset off for the fourcorners of the globe.

5

Mark on the map thesemajor destinations - Paris,Lyon, Marseille, theMéditerranean, Brest,Brittany, the West Indies -that where accessible bywater from the port ofMontsoreau. (solution p. 20)

navigable waterwayscanals

1

2 3

4


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Time for games" After work, we like to get together in the village tavern. We tell the folk thereabout our adventures, our worries over navigation, our encounters. Their eyeswiden ! You should see ! Obviously, we exaggerate our tales a bit, there’s nobodyto check ! We talk about women, our girl-friends who wait for us there, on faraway river banks... There’s time to play a round of “aluette” (a card game), thenback bed in the cabin on board the boat, the next morning is often hard. Amariner’s job is not all siting around. While I think of it, come to the quay, I’d like

to show you somthing. "

stopping point 2 Place des diligences


� The castlewas originally built atwater’s edge ; its moat being filled by theLoire. The roadalongside the river wasonly built in 1830 ; the“Place des diligences” wasthe only route throughMontsoreau.

� Climatic vagariesAt the beginning of thenineteenth century awindless monthbecalmed 400 boats atMontsoreau. Days thatwere spent killing timeby playing and drinkingexplain the mariners’reputation as carousersamong the land lubbers.

� The game of“boule de fort”,made its appearance inAnjou in the nineteenthcentury. Organised inclubs for men only, thegame takes place out ofdoors, on a pitch 25-30metres long by 6-7metres wide. Theopponents compete for11, 12 or 15 points.

The pitch did notinclude the corridor atthe side, which weknow today as “thegangway” and which younotice when you lookthrough the windows ofthe “club”, a coveredbuilding used by themany adepts of themodern version of thegame.


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Monsieur (three of coins) :raise your eyes to

the sky

The cow(two of chalices) :

you pout

Two of oaks(two of cudgels) : show your first andmiddle fingers

I am the center ofattention in the

sports club. Who I am ?(solution p. 20)

1 2 3

The 4 series of 12 cards in thegame of aluette representpeasants (cudgels), merchants(coins), the gentry (swords) andpriest (chalices). You can helpyour partner guess some ofyour cards bypulling a face.

Match each cardwith its nameand you’ll knowthe face pulled.(solution p. 20)


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The river’s moods" Look at these high water marks. I told you that the river is not always so peaceful !How many times have the houses bordering the river been flooded, the fieldsinundated ! We sailors never know whether to be more afraid of drought or highwater. No water, no work. Yet a flood changes the course of the river. Often, aboat will get caught on trees submerged by the current, or beached on asandbank, broken on the rocks. Jean never comes near the marker, it reminds himof his friend " Panse de bique " (nanny goat’s belly), who got drowned. "

stopping point 3 Quai Alexandre DumasYou can find highg

water marksand old graffiti

engraved in the tufaon houses inCandes in the

mariners’ district.


ighg arks

affiti e tufa es in

n the trict.

� The 500 km bollardStanding squarely on thequay, the bollard marksthe 500 kilometres fromthe highest navigablepoint, at Andrézieux.Given the nick-name“Justice of the Peace” bythe locals, it helped insettling disputesbetween the marinersand the haulers.

� The windAlways there, it isessential to the art ofnavigation. The courseof the Loire runs againstthe dominant westwind, which blows mostof the year and enablesboats to move againstthe current. If it veersto the south, a storm isprobably brewing.

Storms on the Loire canbe devastating. As forthe wind from theNorth-West, violentand unpredictable,causing many wrecks,we shout at it “Fils degalerne!”, (son-of-a...) areal local insult.

� At nightTraffic has to find aberth an hour beforesunset, making off againan hour before sunrise.When evening comes,vessels of all sortshuddle together,“stretched out” alongthe banks to spend thenight there.


Where are these parts of the barge ?the boom - the “piautre” (helml) - the weather vane and the pennant - capstan - the “arronçoirs”

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1

2

3

45

“Patouilles, bourdes,crochets à pique, gaffes àpousser” - the manydifferents types of stave,pole and spiked hook soessential for navigating

at thetime.

On approaching anobstacle, a long pole withan iron-clad end was usedfor turning the boat, pushingagainst the bank, with theother end fitted into an“arronçoir”, a wooden plankwith notches, fixed on eachside of the stern and bowsof the boat.


� Th was Mar Can a pla is sa body boat nove haw river flow

In t 7 h in t (sol

10

stopping point 4 Ruelle Saint-Martin

Pray for us" Here is the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. Do you see how their watersflow side by side without mixing ? It’s simple, they aren’t the same colour. Thelarge building you see here is the Saint-Martin Collegiate. It seems that a stainedglass window was installed here showing Saint-Martin with the mariners. It willperhaps surprise some -those who say that mariners are more often seen in a bar than in church - but i’m going in to say a prayer to Saint-Martin. It costsnothing, as my grandmother used to say. And anyway. God alone knows what’s in

store for us. "


� The Collegiatewas dedicated to Saint-Martin who died atCandes, which becamea place of pilgrimage. Itis said that when thebody was being taken byboat to Tours, in mid-november, thehawthorn trees on theriver banks were in fullflower. This is the origin

of the expression “Saint-Martin’s summer”.

� The streets bordered bymariners’ homes,with their weathervanes, their windowslooking onto the riverand their big doorsenclosing theboathouse.

� The quay atCandes is smaller thanthat of Montsoreau, itwas important for thecompany of “gabelous”,tax inspectors control-ling dealing in salt whowere based there.

� A plaque on onehouse tells us how far itis frome Candes to

Briare and to Saint-Nazaire.

� The Candes ferry-boat taking passengersto the other side of theriver in Veron, wasoperational until thebridge at Candes wascommissioned in 1969.


In the design of the stained glass windows, there are7 hidden errors. Look at the stained glass windowin the collegiate and discover the differences.(solution p. 20)

The mariner, moreoften found on thewater than in his parish,is frequently consideredas a bad Christian by

localpeople.

11

In the highly religiousnineteenth century,when the violence of theelements was oftenconsidered a manifesta-tion of God’s wrath,there were also HisSaints, Saint Clment ansSaint Nicolas, whoseprotection you could callon before embarking.


Stone haulers" Not too breathless ? The slope of Tire-Jarret (suspender-puller !) is well named,isn’t it ? We have an appointment here with our quarry-man. There he is, justcoming. He lives in one of the caves over there. It is we Loire mariners who havebeen entrusted with transporting the stone of Touraine and d’Anjou. Thewaterways are faster, safer and more practical than the roads, so often in a badstate ! While my boss is negotiationg, have a look around, go up to the Candespanorama. It’s quite close by. I’ll wait for you on your way back. "

stopping point 5 Rue des perrières

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� The former tufa quarries

� Traditionalbuilding using tufa

This much sought-afterstone, soft and easy towork, was used for buil-ding both chateaux andfore more modestvineyard dwellings. Tufaprovides both the uni-formity and the refine-ment of our villagearchitecture. After acavity was axcavated, itsfaçade was often closed

over to form a troglo-dyte home, a wine cel-lar or store ... Pruneproducers, wine makersand mushroom growerswere quick to set uptheir businesses inthem.

� Wood from boatsreused for buildingIn some of the houses,the main supportingbeams are former boatmasts.


La batellerie de Loire assuraitle commerce de nombred’autres productions locales.Traditionnellement trans-portées sur la Loire, cer-taines de ces marchan-dises n’étaient produitesni à Candes, ni à Montsoreau.Lesquelles ? (solution p. 20)

Wood

Wine

Prunes Slate

Coffee

Builder’s sand

13

The main means of transpor-ting tufa until the mid-nine-teenth century, the Loire fleetwas responsible for distribu-ting the stone that suppliedconstruction sites all the wayto Nantes. It was even loadedon sea-going vessels to besent to the colonies, such asthe Isle of Santo-Domingo.

Mushrooms


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Living on water and wine" Business was quickly concluded. Labourers bring the stone down to the port. Youwant to know why my boss called a halt here ? Look at the vineyard on the hillsidefacing us. He has a plot over there. I think he’s in discussion with a wine grower tobuy a few more hundred square metres. He spends his free time from plying thetiver to tend his vines. I’ve tasted his wine. It’s good. I must say that Jean prefersquality to quantity. He’s not someone who says « Good stuff doesn’t give a goodreturn ! » "

stopping point 6 Rue du puits Saint-Michel


� The vineyards

� The low tufa wallsthat divide the plotsThe Loire wine growerand mariner werebound together twiceover. The riversideslopes have producedsignificant quantities ofwell-reputed wine sincethe seventeenth

century, carried up thewaterways to Paris. Theactual growing of thevines was in partundertaken by themariners who boughtplots to ensure asupplementary income.

� Wine-cellar millsOne of three types ofwindmills in Anjou, theywere an invention oftroglodyte living.

� The valley of Ouches and its manyvaried crops bear wit-ness to the intense far-ming activity on theplateau where many

small trades were exer-cised - sheep farming,barrel-maker - thathave now died out.

� In summer, thelight and heat of thehillside contrast withthe coolness of thestreets, shaded andrefreshed by breezes offthe water.

Wine is a sensitive product and it ishazardous for a mariner because ofthe vagaries of navigation : too long onthe water and there is a risk that thequality and even the quantity of thewine will deteriorate. The season fortransport is short andthe quantities to bedelivered are quiteconsiderable so oftenseveral boat ownershave to get togetherto be able to fulfiltheir contracts.

15

As early as 1784, PierreJacquet and Jean Rognotheaded a convoy of 28 boats,with a total of 2200 barrels ofwine. Knowing that amountedto a volume of 4906hectolitreshectolitre =one hundred litres), what isthe volume of a barrel ofwine ? (solution p. 20)

A convoy of barges is arranged in diminishingsize : the “mother” in the lead bearing the largestsail and taking the helm. Next, with smaller andsmaller sized sails so as not to take the windfrom the preceding boat, follows a whole seriesof boats “tireau, sous-tireau, soubre, soubriquet”with lighters in tow bringing up the rear.


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The call of the land" Jean dreams of buying one of the small houses that you see below us. He oftentalks of leaving the boat, getting married to a girl from here, having children.I think he’s getting old. It’s true that when we’re travelling the solitude oftenweighs heavy. In any event, I’m not ready to become a country bumpkin ! I’ll stay !When we get to a port, I can’t help it, all I can think of is leaving again. I’ve alreadygot itchy feet now. Tell me, do you mind if we go and see where we have to loadour stone ? "

stopping point 7 Chemin du coteau


� Typical architec-ture of the Val deLoire

� Different typesof housesTufa and slate, winecellars, chateaux andmodest homes...Town houses, thegentry’houses,troglodytic and semi-

troglodytic houses.Beautiful houses builthigh up on the hillside,modest houses like themariners’, down belowat the water’s edge.By comparaison with thetroglodytic houses, thesemi-troglodytic had anextension built out infront, which meant a higher place on the

social scale. However,money was not the onlycriterion for socialrecognition. While theboat pilots wereconsidered as simplecrafsmen, some had areal business activitywhich conferred onthem the rank of an“honest man”.

� The gardensof today are often desi-gned on the classicalmodel of elegant cha-teaux gardens : a geome-tric layout, manicuredbox hedges, espalier-trained fruit trees ...


17

Amond the mariners every degree of wealthcould be found, from the greatest povertyto very real fortunes. Despite theirreputation for making rotten husbands,being lazy and quarrelsome, “never therewhen they’re needed”, mariners finished upfinding a wife, sometimes far from theirhomes : the nomadiclife gave many moreopportunities formeeting someone thandid a sedentary life !

The future wife wouldbring a dowry to equip adwelling. Compete thegrid opposite, andyou’ll learn whatmade up the bride’sdowry. (solution p.20)

2

3

5

6

4

1

1/ Isn’t it great between them whenthey’re clean and fresh ? 2/ Piece of furniture with a lid.3/ You pull them to feel cosily at home.4/ Something full of feathers. 5/ Cutlery goes with it. 6/ As you make yours, so you lie in it.


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Bon vent !“ There she is the “ Va d’bon cœur ”. I’m so impatient to embark ! We are off todeliver our stone at Gien. I’ve never been there before. What I like about this job,is that you get to see the country too ! Jean told me that Gien lies upstream andfar away. So far away that it’s beyond the reach of the sea wind. To move ahead,you have to be towed. I can’t wait to see how that works ! But now we’re haulingup the sail. The adventure continues ! Off we go, a fair wind to you, and see youagain next time round ! “.

stopping point 8 Place du mail


� The windThe wind was the mari-ner’s vital partner,it arrives in strengthonce you get near the shore. It escorted ourvoyagers to Orleans,which they could reachin 8 to 10 days with afair wind. After that theriver turns to the south-east and the wind drops

as you get further awayfrom the sea : the needfor “ towing ”, whichmeant having the boatpulled by horses on thebank or by people usinga rope, became virtuallyinevitable.

� The motorcarcivilisationAs we go down to thestopping point, thenoise gets graduallylouder announcing thetraffic on the road.After the arrival of therailways, which signedthe death warrant ofthe Loire fleet, the roashas the last word ...


An “iron bull thatsmokes, blows andbellows”, saccording tothe poet’s definition willfinally replace the Loirefleet, which is enjoying itslast great days. What isit ? (solution p. 20)

19

A change of clothing ?

A prayer book ?

Rubber boots ?

A yellow waxed jacket ?

A good bottle of rum ?

Seen on the quay atevery departure, is themariner’s travellingchest needed on everyvoyage. But what’sinside it ? Ring the rightanswers. (solution p. 20)

The personal tools of the mariner ?


20

Conception graphique et maîtrise d’œuvre : S. & J. JUPIN, 02 43 88 84 95 - Textes : Frédéric RICHAUDIllustrations couverture et p 4/5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 : Mickaël JANVIER - Imprimerie du Centre, Doué-la-Fontaine

ISBN 2-9524393-0-3

Solutionsto the quizzes

p. 5 Complete the map1 : West Indies On their arrival at Nantes thegoods were reloaded onto sea-going vessels to be sent to allthe points on the globe.2 : Brest, Brittany, by the canalfrom Nantes to Brest.3 : Paris, by the canal fromBriare and Orléans that are lin-ked to the Seine. 4 : Lyon, Marseille, the Mediter-ranean, by the central canalthat links up with the Saône,which flows into the Rhône.

Source of goods : weapons : Saint-Étiennesugar : West Indiestufa : Anjousalt : Brittanyporcelaine : Neverslace : Le Puy

p. 7 Aluette cards1 : Two of oaks2 : Monsieur3 : The cow

Who I am ? The “boule defort”, is played on a curvedpitch with an asymmetrical ball. The ground must be perfectlysmooth to enable the playersto calculate a throw compensa-ting for curl in its trajectory.

p. 9 Parts of a barge1 : weather vane and pennant2 : the boom, a piece of woodfixed to the mast and to whichthe sail is attached,3 : the capstan, a hand windlassfor raising the mast and fortowning,4 : the “piautre”, a wooden helm,5 : the “arronçoirs”

p. 11 The 7 errors1 : the roof on the tower2 : the flag at the top of themast 3 : the goblet on the tomb4 : the roll of parchment in thehand of the sleeper5 : the way the person on theleft is facing6 : the sail is missing7 : the shape of the door.

p. 13 Goods not produced inCandes or Montsoreau : coffee comes from the WestIndies,the slates come from Trélazé, mushrooms were not grownhere until the twentiethcentury.

p. 15 Capacity of a barrel ofwine : 223 litres.

p. 17 The bride’s dowry1 : sheets2 : chest3 : curtains4 : eiderdown5 : crockery6 : bedA dowry could besupplemented by a few ecus, afew measures of grain, somevats for the harvest, the use ofa plot of land and one or twosheep...

p. 19 What is it ?The railway.

The mariner’s chest ?Not a yellow waxed jacket orrubber boots ! The mariner,when he’s not barefoot, wearsclogs made from poplar woodthat don’t slip on the wet planks of the deck.A change of clothing is rare : it’ssaid that the mariner keeps allhis clothong on his back.As far as the bottle of rum isconcerned, more generallyassociated with the long haulmariner, it is replaced here by“eau de vie” (brandy) made bygranny, and the only remedy onboard against all ills.A Bible and a rosary complete“the medicine chest”.The tools of the mariner (adze,“doloire”, hammer, etc.) areneeded on every voyage.


PÉRIODIcals

�Bulletins des amis dumusée de la marine de Loirede Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.

�Cahiers du Conservatoiredes Rives de la Loire,Hôtel de la Région, Nantes.

�303 n°49, Loire, 1996.n°75, Loire, 2002.

�Fluvial, revue mensuelle.

�La Loire et ses terroirs,revue mensuelle.

STRIP CAROONS

HIETTRE et AILLERIE �Le Grand Fleuve, coll. Repérages, Dupuis. T. 1 : Jean Tambour, 1990. T. 2 : Vent de mar, 1990.T. 3 : L’île aux canes, 1992. T. 4 : Hussards en Galerne, 1995.

Founded in 1996, the first Loire Nature Park covers 271 000 ha (625 000 acres) in the departments of Indre-et-Loire (CentreRégion) and Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire Region).

Parc naturel régionalLoire-Anjou-TouraineMaison du Parc 15 avenue de la Loire 49730 MONTSOREAUTél. 02 41 38 38 88 Fax 02 41 38 38 89 www.parc-loire-anjou-touraine.fr

Le Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine

141 towns - 193 000 inhabitants

BEAUFORT-EN-VALLÉE

DOUÉ-LA-FONTAINE

MONTREUIL-BELLAY

LONGUÉ

GENNES

ALLONNESSAUMUR

MONTSOREAUMAISON DU PARC

CHINON

BOURGUEIL

AZAY-LE-RIDEAU

TOURSVILLE-PORTE

ANGERSVILLE-PORTE

L’ÎLE-BOUCHARD

RICHELIEU

DOCUMENTARYRESSOURCES

BOOKS ON THE LOIRE

CHAUSSARD P. �La marine de Loire, Roanne, Horvath, 1980.

COMTE Marie-Françoise �Voyage sur la Loire, C.L.D., 1998.

COUDERC Jean-Marie �La Loire insolite,C.L.D., 2001.

DUSSOURD et DEJEUX �Les hommes de la Loire, Berger-Levrault, 1985.

FRAYSSE Jeanne et Camille Cholet, imp. Farré & fils, �Loire angevine et Maine, mariniers et riverains d’au-trefois, 1967.

�Vie quotidienne au temps de la marine de Loire, 1972.

PERSON (de) Françoise �Bateliers sur la Loire, C.L.D., 1995.

POIRIER Jacques �Un fleuve en 1840, laLoire, Albin Michel Jeunesse,Paris, 1985.

PROUST PascalLAURENDEAU Pierre�Carnets de Loire, Le Polygraphe, Angers, 1996.

VILLIERS et SENOTIER�Histoire de la marine deLoire, Grandvaux, 1996.

CONSERVATOIRE RÉGIONALDES RIVES DE LA LOIRE�Portraits de Loire, icono-graphie du XVIIe à nosjours, Coiffard.


Meet at the starting point, andset off following the markings

Prix : 1€

PARC NATUREL RÉGIONAL LOIRE-ANJOU-TOUR

AINE

Maison du Parc - 15 avenue de la Loire - 49730 M

ONTSOREAU

Tél. 02 41 38 38 88 - www.parc-loire-anjou-tour

aine.fr

Marked trails are proposed accordingto specific themes. A discovery

booklet provides a point by point guideto the countryside you will be crossing,and an imaginary character gives ashort history of the sites seen...

How does it work ?

Montsoreau/Candes-Saint-MartinWhen there were sailors

on the LoireTravel back in time a whole century andlet Simon guide you along the narrowstreets of Montsoreau and Candes-Saint-Martin ! You will follow the footsteps ofthe mariners who lived the last greatdays of the Loire fleet in the second half

of the nineteenth century,and you’ll dicover places that still bear

witness to their passing.

THE HERITAGE WALKING TRAILS

CONSEIL GÉNÉRAL D'INDRE ET LOIRE CANDES SAINT MARTIN

P


the heritage walking trails discovery booklet · the heritage walking trails discovery booklet when...

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