Down below in Place Godeau can be found the 10th & 11th century Notre
Dame du Puy Cathedral, containing some extremely interesting paintings, and
the 12th century 'Tour de Guet' by the Mairie, which was the
Bishop's Palace.
As her local town and administrative centre, Winifred Fortescue would no
doubt have been very familiar with the old town, daily food and flower market
and the fish market - often mentioned in her books.
The Cannes - Grasse railway line was still in
use in Lady Fortescue's time and re-opened on the 26th March 2005. Click
here to see the page about the line
or use the link at the bottom of this page.
The Chemins de Fer de Provence metre gauge railway used to
pass
through the olive groves at The Domaine. To learn more about this interesting
line, still operating between Nice and Digne, click
here or use the link at the bottom of the
page. |
A corner of Fragonard
1932
J H Fragonard bi-centenary label |
The historic perfume factory in the heart of the Old
Town is one of the oldest in Grasse, the present premises have housed
perfume making from 1782. In 1926 they took the name of Parfumerie
Fragonard as a tribute to the famous painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
Visit
Fragonard web site
Open every day, Sundays and public holidays included,
from 9 am to 6.30 pm (closed 12.30 pm to 2 pm November to January).
Visit
Grasse web site
|
Place aux Aires - tour the town
by donkey! |
Place aux Aires - the daily
flower market |
The
beautiful glass & metal cover of the old fish market |
The
beautiful glass & metal cover of the old fish market |
|
Rue de la Fontette,
Grasse. This postcard, (left), is franked 14th May 1936, about the time Lady Fortescue arrived in the area - at the top of the street is an advert
for 'Pastilles Geraudel' by Jules
Cheret
Cheret
was the father of the advertising poster.
By the 1890’s, known as the Belle Epoque in France, he was so
successful that he was said to have transformed the boulevards of
Paris into the “Art Gallery of the Streets”. His young beauties
became a fixture on the billboards of Paris, so much so that
they became known as “Cherettes.” One of the most poetic was the
floating beauty in this add for a cough drop. Cheret has cleverly
placed her in a snowstorm with large flakes that subtly remind us of
the product.
|
1928 Taxi Flyer
for H. Clapier - Excursions |
1928 Taxi Flyer
for H. Clapier - Tarif de Jour |
|
The band stand in
the centre of Grasse |
Place aux Aires
|
Old buildings in
the lower town largely unchanged for years |
Old buildings in
the lower town largely unchanged for years |
Square in the lower town |
Square in the lower town |
Square and market in the lower town |
Grasse centre |
|
Postcard view of Grasse - early 1900's
|
Postcard view of Grasse - early 1900's
|
Picking rose flowers near Grasse for the perfume
industry
|
Picking jasmine flowers near Grasse for the
perfume industry
|