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This little collection of holiday snaps were all taken in a small French town. Of course, doors with an equal wealth of character could be found in England - if one were to scour the countryside looking at old farm outbuildings and stately homes, but these pictures were all taken in an urban area, within a short stroll from a town centre. I doubt whether many English towns hold such a density of diverse joinery as is commonplace in French provincial towns.
The pictures illustrate the rich diversity of vernacular craftsmanship, where doors were made individually with more reference to the hole in which they were to hang than to any standard pattern of received wisdom at to how a door should be constructed. They also reflect the attitude that when something is broken it should be fixed, not cast away and replaced. Centuries of accumulated repairs can sometimes be traced on a door, each new mend adding another layer of character and history to the fabric of the door and the wider townscape.
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Lincolnshire
©Biff Vernon 2006