The Palace of Pebbles

[SifuPhil]

Ferdinand Cheval first began building his “Palais Ideale” in Drôme, France 1879 when he tripped over an unusual stone. Inspired by its shape, he began collecting more small stones each day. At first he would carry home the pebbles he found on his mail rounds in his pockets, but as he began collecting more, he started carrying them home in baskets, and eventually a wheelbarrow.



For the first 20 years of construction he built the outer walls, using cement, lime and mortar to hold the pebbles together. He worked at night after his day job, usually by the light of an oil lamp.

Over the years the palace itself was built with amazing attention to details influenced by both Christian and Hindu architectural elements, although the final product is a one-of-a-kind and not really able to be categorized.



In his late seventies, he spent eight more years working on his own impressive mausoleum in the nearby village cemetery. He was buried there in 1924.





In 1969, the palace was declared a cultural and historic landmark and in 1986 Cheval was put on a French postage stamp. The son of a farmer, Ferdinand had never had any known formal artistic, architectural or masonry training– just natural talent and a heck of a lot of perseverance.

 

[Diwundrin]

Hope he used a good grade mortar, that looks like a mound of rubble just waiting to happen.

You do have to admire people with that much dedication though don't you? Or wonder about their eyesight.

There was a house near my Grans that had pebbles and seashells pushed into the wet stucco. The whole front of the house was covered in them. It was arguably the ugliest house I've ever seen but people used to drive for miles to look at it, presumably to worship at the altar of bad taste.

It might still be there for all I know, but I sure don't want to ever see it again.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

That is an amazing palace ! Did he actually live there, or just built it ? It is huge, and I for sure would not have wanted to be the person that had to do the housekeeping there, so I hope he had servants, or housekeepers, or some hired help.

I think that it is majorly ugly, so even though it is a large place to live, I don't think I would like living there; but to each his own on style.

I prefer a happy little cottage with flowers around it (surprise, surprise...)

 

[That Guy]

. . . and I'm just trying to collect rocks for my garden...

 

[Anne]

. . . and I'm just trying to collect rocks for my garden...

Well, come visit and bring a semi - we can't even dig a hole anywhere without running into rocks.


I have to wonder if these people have some kind of major OCD or something, to be so determined they actually finish those places. Makes me think of the Coral Castle in Florida....has anyone ever seen it??

 

[MercyL]

This shows how much someone can accomplish without ever plunking down a lifetimes' worth of money for a degree.

Of course, these days, the city and state will come around, tell you to get a permit, then say that your materials are substandard, forcing you tear the whole thing down.

 

[SifuPhil]

... Makes me think of the Coral Castle in Florida....has anyone ever seen it??

I stopped in there once on my way to Key West and enjoyed the "mystery" aspect of the entire thing - to this day people are debating how he could have moved 27-ton blocks around by himself with nothing more than a simple tripod hoist. I can't say I know the answer but it was an enjoyable visit.

Of course, these days, the city and state will come around, tell you to get a permit, then say that your materials are substandard, forcing you tear the whole thing down.

I long for turn-of-the-century Paree, when we smoked gauloises and laughed at the Bauinspektor when he came calling at our construction site - we would throw rotten fish at him until he bolted, screaming "Merde! Merde!" with his waistcoats flapping in the wind.