Wells and access
Service wells with steps or ladders The plates to access them are heavy and dangerous to handle, it is easy to lose your fingers. They allow the ventilation of the…
This collection gathers photographs of diverse subterranean sites, ranging from the ochre quarries of the Luberon and Parisian stone quarries to Picardy creutes, Wales’ Milwr Tunnel, military bunkers, crypts, and troglodyte cellars. Readers learn about historical infrastructure like service access wells, groundwater management systems, basement consolidation techniques, and stone transport using wooden carts. The visual archives also detail religious underground spaces, including ossuaries and chapels used for daily prayers or celebrations like Christmas and Easter.
Crypts and ossuaries
Introduction Crypts and ossuaries, silent witnesses of human history and spirituality, offer a fascinating journey through time and culture. These underground places, full of mystery and symbolism, tell the story…
Cellars and troglodyte sites
French Wine Cellars and Underground Breweries Wine cellars in France represent an iconic element of the country's viticultural heritage. They have been used for centuries to store and age wine…
Basement consolidation
Consolidation methods Consolidations are used to stabilize voids and allow the construction of surface structures. They can be carried out using different techniques, such as hedges and tamping, arm pillars,…
Transporting stone in underground quarries
Evolution of underground transport modes Stones extracted from underground quarries began to be transported using wooden carts. For a long time, that is, until the 1910s, almost all stone blocks…