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NEWSLETTER No. 16 - JANUARY 24th 2006 The theme of this newsletter is the famous aqueduct, the Pont du Gard. The people of the Gard have great pride in this magnificent piece of Roman heritage. Facts and figures and the background of this monumental construction are given herein. The top property is an splendid stone house situated at the southern edge of the Cevennes beside St. Hippolyte-du-Fort. Ref. 274 is not a new property on the market but has undergone a price reduction. Its size, location, character and reduced price all make it a top property. Should you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please use the link provided at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, kindly read on. Theme Of The Fortnight: The Pont du Gard is the most visited remnant of antiquity in France. It is the most handsome and the best preserved of the Roman aqueducts. Historians suggest its construction was initiated in the middle of the 1st century A.D. under the reign of Emperor Claude and completed approximately 15 years later under Trajan. However, drawing back in order to see a bigger picture, the Pont du Gard is (only) the most extraordinary portion of a 50km aqueduct bridging the city of Nimes with the source of the river Eure beside Uzès.  Nîmes: A need for water Growth of the city of Nîmes and a more ample and generous use of water was sufficient justification for the enormous undertaking involved in building a 50km aqueduct. Prior to the arrival of the Romans, the city had been quite a minor settlement built around a spring that satisfied the needs of the period. The Roman empire brought with it advanced levels of hygiene; body hygiene through the well known ritual of bathing, and city hygiene, with water running from fountains to clean the city and evacuate through sewers. Further, water was seen to purify the atmosphere and relieve the city of bad odours. Hence there were three main groups of water use: public fountains, public monuments - in particular the baths -, and homes of the rich who could afford a private water supply. It is said that during droughts, the collective needs were advantaged - the delivery of water to private homes was first cut off, then that of public monuments and baths, but never the public fountains. The construction of the aqueduct would enable the citizens of Nîmes a daily quota of two cubic metres of water per head. An aqueduct To satisy their considerable needs for water, the Romans had to cover a fair distance to locate an adequate source and then build an aqueduct to transport it. Requirements were that of providing pure water and in sufficient quantity, being long lasting, and in the absence of any pumping devices, being situated higher than the receiving reservoir in Nîmes. Further, it needed to be the closest possible to Nîmes without needing to cross unconquerable obstacles. A thorough investigation of the local area would have been conducted before opting for the Eure spring beside Uzès, which offered the best possibilities from all points of view. The water from the Eure proved good for consumption, and offered an average flow rate of 430 litres/second. Further, the spring is situated at an altitude of 76 metres. These conditions satisfied, the feat of engineering was no less impressive. The aqueduct channeling at the source of the Eure commenced at an altitude of 71 metres, only 12 metres higher than the reservoir in Nîmes.  The city is 20km as the crow flies from the spring, but the itinerary taken by the aqueduct was one which satisfied the requirement of maintaining a roughly constant slope from spring to reservoir, the ever so slight 0.3 mm per metre of aqueduct on average, such that the whole route spans roughly 50km. When it came to clear an obstacle like a hill, the Romans either dug a tunnel - on condition that the rock was not too hard - or went around it. Where the ground was a little too high compared to the aqueduct, trenches were dug into the hillside. While huge portions of the aqueduct are no longer in place, other parts remain in public view today. The Pont du Gard Built in limestone extracted locally, this colossal construction, the highest aqueduct bridge of Roman civilisation, spans the Gardon river for a length of 360 metres. It is formed of 3 layers of arches that support a covered water channel 48 metres above the river. It is a harmonious design of 6 lower arches, 11 intermediary arches, and 47 top arches. 21,000 cubic metres of stone were required representing a total mass of 50,400 tonnes. Individual blocks weigh as much as 6 tonnes. In order to ensure maximum rigidity, each stone was meticulously sculpted, squared and chamfered in order to fit perfectly with the next stone. Looking closely at the interior face of the pillars of the second layer of arches, one observes the work of the Roman builders: techniques of sculpting the blocks and their assembly, enabling the installation of scaffolding.  For much of the year, the Gardon trickles beneath one or two arches, but heavy rain can bring about the famous spates termed, "Gardonnades". To relieve the construction of such heavy forces, cut-water prow formation pillars were built to divert the water between the arches. The Pont du Gard has been a UNESCO world heritage monument since 1985 and every year visitors count approximately two million. The environment, largely 'garrigue' - a rocky arid terrain with aromatic wild flowers and plants, is pretty, austere and calm given its relative isolation from urban environments. Quote from Laurence Durrell: The writer Lawrence Durrell settled in Sommières (Gard) in 1957, where he lived until his death in 1990. His appreciation of the Pont du Gard is summed up in « Caesar's Vast Ghost » which evokes the ways the Romans gave form to the southern French provinces. In it he says that it is impossible to remain indifferent to the view of the sumptuous honey coloured stone arches assembled without mortar. For further information: 1. http://www.pontdugard.fr/ 2. "En ballon autour du Pont du Gard" presents photographs and text by Frenchman Jean Donnet. Published by "Editions du 8ème". In it are some tremendous photographs taken from his hot air ballon while floating above the Pont du Gard and surrounding cities and countryside. 3. UNESCO World Heritage site: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/344 Top Property Of The Fortnight: An impressive and spatious mas at the very southern edge of the Cevennes five minutes from shops, restaurants and a supermarket in St. Hippolyte du Fort. The house belongs to an elderly couple who contracted an extensive and very competent renovation in the 1980s. It is an excellent proposition for a large familiy or for two families to share. Property Description Splendid and very sound mas close to St. Hippolyte du Fort at the southern edge of the Cevennes and within convenient distance of Nîmes (45 minutes). The house underwent a thorough renovation in the 1980s, at which point a number of architectural enhancements were made in order to make this house into a very pleasant family dwelling. It has an interior surface area of approximately 260m², comprising two living rooms one with a mezzanine library area, a dining room, 5 bedrooms, a games room, a fitted kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 2 additional wash rooms. The house is fitted with central heating and a wood burning fireplace is situated in the cosier of the two living rooms. Various rooms have tommette floor tiling. Running along the bottom of the house are a number of arches that give significant character to the building. Beneath the dwelling are 4 cellars, along with a garage. Various terraces border the house at very levels giving different views. The property stands on 2.5 acres of terraced and flat wooded grounds in a setting of great tranquility. The asking price is now 460,000€.           http://www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/viewpropNP.php?id=274 For a little further information on the region you may wish to consult a previous newsletter: http://www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/newsletter_26072005.php  +33 626 581 415 Enquiries can be made through the following page: http://www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/contact.php About James Properties France: Based in Montpellier in the south of France, bringing to you a carefully picked selection of properties within a 70 mile radius - with the occasional more distant exception - that are chosen for their combinations of attributes, most notably: - Setting of outstanding natural beauty - Distinct character or unusual features - Quality of renovation or authenticity - Value for money James Properties France serves primarily an English speaking, though often highly Francophile clientele looking to move or own a second home in the south of France around such places as Uzes, Nîmes, Montpellier, Anduze, St. Hippolyte du Fort, the Southern Cevennes, Gignac and Clermont l'Herault and the Hauts Cantons. Besides being a rich source of housing options, James Properties France represents a useful accompaniment during the process of viewing and purchasing a house. If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, please click on the following link: www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/unsubscribe.php |