Nobody has forgotten the activity of
the port on the Chartrons Quays that
continued unabated until the end of
the last century.
A work by the Bordelais painter, Lacour
in 1804, exhibited in the Museum of
Decorative Arts gives a good idea of
the atmosphere. Between the banks of
the river, and the fine facades of the
wealthy wine merchants, a whole crowd
of sailors and workers contributed to
the activity of the commerce among the
piles of cases and barrels. River boats
would pull up to the quayside loaded
with the wares from the larger tall
ships that were anchored in the channel.
Lines of lime trees and two fountains
gave the quays a certain charm and made
for an agreeable promenade.
The name of the quarter comes form the
Chartreux Convent that was built at
the end of the XIVth century, the Chartrons
Quarter however owes its wealth to the
wine trade that was undertaken by the
English merchants and then the merchants
from further north.
The Fleming, Conrad Gaussen drained
the area at the beginning of the XVIIth
century. Where once a long line of gabled
houses formed the facade of the quays,
two Dutch houses remain today.
The explosion of colonial commerce in
addition to the wine industry meant
that Bordeaux underwent spectacular
growth during the latter part of the
XVIIIth century. The wealthy merchants
built sumptuous residences, many of
which can still be seen today throughout
the city.
Up until the revolution, the quarter
stretched from beyond the cours de Verdun
towards Bacalan to the North, where
the great Bordeaux manufacturers established
themselves under the Restoration, and
to the South, the old Pavé des
Chartrons, beyond which was the Château
Trompette. The demolition of this fort
allowed for the construction of the
Esplanade des Quinconces and the Lainé
Warehouses during the first half of
the XIXth century. |
| Eric
COUTUREAU. |
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Museum of
Decorative Arts
Sites
devoted to Wine
Vinexpo
Vinorama
Wine
school
Hotels
Restaurants
Map
of quarters
|
