It was hot! The pavements were melting and the railway tracks were buckling. It was Flaming June! It was also far too hot to be stuck at a desk. I decided to "wag it", playing "hooky", absconding on the Eurostar for some down time in Lille. It has to have been at least 15 years since I was last in Lille. We would usually go in the depths of winter to enjoy the Christmas markets, gluhwein and large ferris wheel, although the cold always sent us scuttling back into the refuge and warmth of a bar or hotel. Summer in Lille had a totally different vibe. Summer in Lille was much better.
On arrival, crossing between Lille Europe and Lille Flanders train stations I came across Shangri-La Tulips, a huge Yayoi Kusama sculpture.
There was lots of construction work going on around the entrances to the stations as new paving was being laid. It was a mess. A short walk down Rue Faidherbe however, leads you out of the chaos and overdevelopment of the area around the train stations down to the picturesque main squares of Vieux Lille. Dominating the Place du Théâtre are the fine Chamber of Commerce building and graceful Opéra house below.
On the south side of the square is one of Lille's most beautiful buildings, the Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange), which was created in 1652. The Vieille Bourse is a block of 24 houses that surround an arcaded courtyard. The building is typical of the ornate Flemish Baroque style. The central courtyard features a monument to Napoleon I at its center, and a meeting place where locals play games of chess and shop for elusive editions at the secondhand book market.
Place du Général de Gaulle, (Grand Place), is right next to Place du Théâtre and is a busy meeting place for many Lillois, and the eponymous birthplace/home of the former French president. It is also home to the iconic landmark La Voix Du Nord building which publishes the local regional newspaper. The Art Deco ziggurats at the top of the building are crowned by three golden maidens.
Also situated in the bustling the Place du Général de Gaulle amid the Renaissance and Baroque Flemish buildings with Neoclassical façades is a column supporting the Goddess Monument. The Goddess commands the squares attention, holding a linstock in her right hand which was used to light the fuses on canons. She commemorates Lille's resistance to the Austrian siege during September 1792.
As well as ornate Baroque buildings, Lille boasts some delightful examples of Art Nouveau and Deco architecture which have been similarly well preserved. One such colourful Nouveau example is A la Cloche d'Or located in the Grand Place above.
This tall, slender bar caught my eye, and the interior full of decorative Art Nouveau period tiles and panelling was delightful. Like every other bar around the globe it was gearing up for the recent football World Cup. I can only imagine the scenes of delight there a few weeks later when France actually went on to win the Cup.
Other spots around the old town boasted some great examples of original Art Deco architectural details such as these geometric patterned stained glass panels with period typefaces in different branches of Paul.
This building on Rue de Béthune in the shopping district was another striking Deco-era survivor with a great font. The gold and blue decorative tiles were reminiscent of stylised roses and other flowers incorporated into the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald.
Meert, above, is a Lille institution. The legendary patisserie is filled with the most exquisite cakes and desserts.
Much has been made in the news about the loss to our high streets of certain brand name stores such as Maplin, New Look, and House of Fraser, so it was it interesting from a nostalgic point of view to come across C&A, which evoked memories of visits with my mum as a child in the late 70s/early 80s. C&A is a strong brand which I grew up with, but sadly disappeared from British high streets in 2001. I'm glad to see the brand still survives in France.
This is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Treille - a Neo-Gothic church built in 1854. The cathedral stands on a site that in the Middle Ages provided shelter for an ancient statue of the Virgin Mary, considered to have miraculous powers. The statue was protected by an iron trellis, which explains the cathedral's name "Notre-Dame de la Treille" ("Our Lady of the Trellis"). The building was originally conceived on a massive scale but a series of wars meant the project had to be drastically scaled back. The cathedral was finally completed in the 1990s and inaugurated in 1999. I really don't think the modernist façade works against the architecture of the original stonework.
Having enjoyed the charm of the old town I headed south in search of further architectural gems situated in Lille. I enjoyed the contrast in the styles of the old and new buildings seen above. I liked the fact that despite the sharp angles modern architecture can still be decorative with the exterior embellished with pierced foliate panels cladding the exterior of this modern building.
Further exploration brought me to the foot of the Beffroi de Lille, (Belfry of Lille) which is located to the east of the city, and is 104 meters high and has 400 steps, which was way too much exercise for me to even consider in the heat. There is a lift though for anybody wanting to scale the tower, and the views across Lille and surrounding areas are well worth the effort of the climb I was told. The Belfry is attached to the City Hall and was completed in 1932, making it another interesting Art Deco-era building to be found in Lille.
Just below the Beffroi de Lille is this structure which is Lille's very own Arc de Triomphe, also known as the Porte de Paris. Although not as big as its Parisian counterpart it does compensate by having some beautifully designed planted box hedges worthy of the palace at Versailles at its base. It is a vanity monument by architectural engineer Simon Vollant to his king - Louis XVI, built between 1685 and 1692, and celebrates Louis XVI's defeat of the Spanish and the taking back of Flemish territories from Spanish control.
Perhaps the most magnificent piece of Art Nouveau architecture in Lille is the outstanding Maison Coilliot. Designed by Hector Guimard (who is also responsible for the Art Nouveau façades which still remain on some Paris Metro stations), and commissioned by owner Louis Coilliot a ceramicist who applied his favoured enamelled lava technique to the ceramic façade. Maison Coilliot sticks out nicely from its neighbours like an eccentric, artistic sore thumb. It's such a pity the public (unless invited) cannot get access to see the private period interiors.
Another stylish survivor of the Art Nouveau period close to Maison Coilliot (above).
I made my way back up to the old town, and although I wasn't able to get access to Maison Coilliot, I was by chance invited into a different, more historic property on one of the oldest streets in Lille. I was taking pictures of the lovely Tabac sign above, and noticed I was getting suspicious/indignant looks from the man pictured below. He asked what I was doing and I explained how much I appreciated his sign. After some initial hesitation he said he was the owner of the property and asked if would I like to see inside. It was now my turn to be suspicious of him. He rolled up the shutters and I could see that the property was a former bar/tobacconists shop that had been empty for some time. Sensing a good photo op I followed the owner in and he invited me to take photographs.
The bar was really interesting especially now that smoking has been banned in most public spaces throughout the world, and many people as a consequence have since dropped the habit. The bar was full of old advertising merchandise and unopened and unsmoked packs of cigarettes and cigars, as well as coffee-making machinery and beer pumps. I could only imagine the drinks imbibed, cigars and cigarettes smoked, stories told, and laughter had in that small space by the regulars in its heyday.
I loved this old, shapely, un-PC mannequin complete with skimpy knickers, crammed full of vintage cigar labels.
Monsieur Nicolas - for that was his name - then ushered me up the rickety, winding, wooden stairs at the rear of the property so that I could see all three storeys of the historic building. As we ascended he explained that his son had learnt English at college in America, and had then in turn taught him to speak English. The pictures give an indication of how narrow these very old properties are, and how closely they sit cheek by jowl with neighbouring properties.
I asked why the building wasn't being renovated and preserved, but recieved only a typical Gallic shrug of the shoulders and smile in response.
Seeing my interest and fascination in the building and its contents Monsieur Nicolas asked if I would like to take away a box of cigars as a keepsake. As much as I loved the packaging graphics I explained that I didn't smoke and would rather have the original metal letters which I had spied, and used to adorn the facade of the business in the 1960s which now sat redundant in a box. I asked if he would consider selling them. He then gave me a lesson in the French school of haggling in which I was invited to write down my "best price", and he then countered with his "best price". After some good natured joking and back and forth on prices, and the meanness of 'Les Anglais' I managed to accquire the letters, salvaging them for a good price, and bizarrely got a shell necklace - a remnant of an exotic bar promotion thrown in for random good measure. Bargain!
After this it was back down the rickety stairs, and I was invited to stay and spend the night on a future return visit. "But there's no bed, where would I sleep?" I asked. Again he smiled, and shrugged. "There's always the coffin", he said...
It was clearly time for me to make my excuses and leave. How great that an encounter which initially appeared to be potentially fractious, should turn out to be so full of fun and laughter. Merci, Monsieur Nicolas, cheeky chappy, and my new BFF in Lille! It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Tracey Emin's installation at St Pancras greeted us on arrival back in London.
