A real magnet for gossip, the lavoir was the place to be in 1850
Aurélie is a guide in Pontrieux. Every Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, she’ll share the village gossip with you, just like in the 19th century !
"We don’t really understand these days, but the life of a washerwoman in 1850 was no bed of roses ! You could almost call it a vocation ! We know this because young unmarried women were advised to become washerwomen in order to find a husband - men knew that washerwomen had what it took to run a tight household ! "
During your visit with Aurélie, you’ll discover the 50 private washhouses that line the river banks of the Trieux in the heart of the Little Town of Character. “Here we have a large number of private lavoirs. Every bourgeois family had their own lavoir for the very good reason that the dirty washing revealed everything that happened in the house ! The grandes dames certainly didn’t want to air their families’ dirty laundry in public, hence the need for a family lavoir !" To conclude your visit, Aurélie will invite you on a river trip to see the lavoirs from the water. A glimpse of another world !
