The traditional houses of the suburbs and the marshes of Saint-Omer
If you audomarois marshes is labeled "Man and Biosphere", it is partly thanks to its ecological wealth. It is also because of the men who shaped this remarkable environment and still contribute to its conservation today, among whom we can mention, among others, the farmers and more generally the inhabitants.
Although it is now forbidden to build in the Audomarois marshes, and this is a good thing, we continue to appreciate the small parts of inhabited marshes as well as the suburbs. These testify to a past, present and future life while being an inexhaustible source of inspiration for photographers. Of course, only the traditional habitats attract the graces of artists and walkers who appreciate the picturesque landscapes! These typical houses are unfortunately tending to disappear, just like the barns of yesteryear, in favor of more "modern" houses.
Let's dwell without further delay on the various types of traditional habitats of the Audomarois marshes. A treasure to preserve before it's too late!
The first houses in the Audomarois marsh
Previously, the Audomarois marsh had few dwellings, at most a few small houses with cob or stone walls and thatched roofs. Although picturesque and sought after today, these rural habitats underwent a radical transformation due to the democratization in the 400th century of the use of brick and tile. They were indeed stronger and fire-resistant materials. At this same time, the marshes and the suburbs began to be populated in a considerable way. In question ? The establishment of the first station in Saint-Omer, allowing the growth of cauliflower cultivation and the massive arrival of market gardeners (XNUMX families at the end of the XNUMXth century!).
The dwellings then differed according to their location, but all responded to certain constraints, due to the profession of the occupants as well as to the specificities of the environment. We inherit today this heritage testifying to the time of the “cauliflower rush”!
The classic habitat of the marsh: the farmhouse
While the wealthiest turned to the suburbs for convenience, low-income agricultural workers settled in the heart of the marsh, on islets.
The wealthiest indeed benefited from the best locations: proximity to the fertile land of pastures and communal marshes, land routes to go to town or to the station, proximity to market places... The most modest had to settle for awkward locations. In general, we can establish, by magnifying the line, that the richest lived in the Haut-Pont, the middle class Lyzel and the poorest the marshy areas such as the low marshes.
The latter opted for the farmhouse, a low and elongated house, made of bricks and topped with a sloping roof covered with Flemish purlins. The walls left exposed brick or were whitewashed while the base was coated with tar. At the water's edge, a walnut tree protected the escute with its branches, lined up against the brick quay decorated with a "pucheau" (puchoir = to draw in the vernacular). It consisted of a small staircase extended by a quay allowing vegetables to be washed and water to be drawn for the needs of everyday life.
The Doulac and Lyzel
We find many of these specificities in the Doulac but also and above all in the suburb of Lyzel, along its main river where a traditional semi-grouped habitat spreads out, connected to the road by small bridges, some of which are similar to exceptional pieces of ironwork. These residences generally have one floor as well as a two-sided roof and line of breaks, making it possible to optimize the occupation of the attic. It is a sort of “Mansard” style roof providing a habitable floor and an attic or two attics in one.
Note that the Lyzel road leading to Clairmarais was made passable in 1870. The Doulac, nicknamed the "Marabout", also hosts one of the first roads accessible by car and tractors. It was indeed necessary to serve the Gilliers, Dambricourt, Baroen and Klempouck marshes, well before the consolidation operations.
The suburb of Haut-Pont
Let's now head towards the town of Saint-Omer After crossing the rue de la Poissonnerie, which once welcomed many railway workers, we come to the Faubourg du Haut-Pont. The habitat, this time grouped and semi-urban, let in the past, more than elsewhere, show through, through the dimensions of the constructions, the social rank of the owners. We can distinguish the houses of the workers, small low dwellings, from the houses of the operators, much more imposing. These opulent residences have one or two floors and, very often, a porch as well as a two-sided roof, covered with slates or local tiles. The porch or the porte-cochère was like an ostentatious sign of wealth. The larger it was, the more successful the owner was in business!
Behind the house, we could notably note the presence of a barn made up of clapboards, a stable, a vegetable kitchen, a shed, a vegetable garden and frames for sowing… As well as the river, of course!
This heritage cheerfully contributes to the charm of the marsh, making the pride of our territory. A treasure to preserve, at the risk of excessively modifying the appearance of the place, already impacted for several decades...
