Creyssac Eschif, France
The Creyssac eschif (or Guet lodge) is located in Périgord in Périgueux, France. It was built in the 14th century and is classified as a historic monument. It is a lookout post that is constructed of half-cut timbers and cob, and seems to miraculously stand on a thin stone support to which it is connected by struts on its two longitudinal facades.
A eschif is a small fortification built to defend the approaches to a gate when the city walls consisted of a simple wall. They are often wooden structures that were temporarily established when time or resources were lacking to erect towers.
The Creyssac eschif was created to provide a means of surveillance of the Tournepiche bridge in the Middle Ages. It was built in 1347 on the ramparts of Puy-Saint-Front (the medieval city in the historic center of Périgueux) at the foot of which the Isle flows.
Did you know
Although never having been used as a mill, it is wrongly called “Old mill” and was originally listed as a historic monument under the name of Saint-Front mill. The confusion comes from the nearby Saint-Front mill which was in the middle of the Isle and which was demolished in 1860.
