Wheels Fit For A King or Queen

Roulez carrosses!

While in Arras we decided to check out a pretty cool exhibit called Roulez carrosses! at the Abbaye Saint-Vaast. The carriage museum at Versailles closed to the public ten years ago, this is the first occasion that the carriages have been loaned out for an exhibition. They are on display here until November 2013 so if you’re in the area it’s well worth the stop. It’s a great setting and the carriages themselves are intricate and just amazing to see.

People of means

Sedan chairs, brought to France from England, were used in Paris streets and at Versailles. When snow made it difficult to walk in the streets, people of means would be carried around in these covered chairs.

Horse poop

There seemed to be a carriage for every occasion, baptism, wedding, coronation and funeral carriages. Children had their own carriages, smaller than the adults’ carriage. Like many things, at a glance, it seems very romantic but when you start thinking about the logistics, the horses, what comes out of horses and onto the streets…let’s get back to the pretty pictures.

Wheels fit for a king or queen

I think we spent a good half hour admiring this carriage in particular. Covered in gold, it was so beautiful and every time we looked at it we would notice a new detail we had previously missed.

Do you enjoy this type of exhibit?