![Elegant old wash house of Provence | A large pool in natural stone for sale at Les Matériaux Anciens Alain Bidal](/photos/1/4/2/f/f/142fff82f439903b4d7d1bebcb05c12ed4657cfa.jpeg)
Village wash-houses
In the not too distant past, washing machines did not exist. If even a couple of decades ago, they were still a luxury.
The laundry was therefore often done in a simple and flat stone placed near a stream or river.
![Elegant old wash house of Provence | A large pool in natural stone for sale at Les Matériaux Anciens Alain Bidal](/photos/1/4/2/f/f/142fff82f439903b4d7d1bebcb05c12ed4657cfa.jpeg)
![Fontaine murale - le charme d'une fontaine de village en pierre.](/photos/8/3/c/5/8/83c583f349bdd9339bbb988749f6afe6f18d0f09.jpeg)
Antique wall-fountain with washtub
![Provencal village style rustic stone wash house inspired by an old washhouse](/photos/7/1/9/1/c/7191c56b0d899af43fe512df3ab7367c4dffd91a.jpeg)
Superb village wash-house in aged and patinated stones
![Village washhouse-style basin in ancient stones by Alain BIDAL Antique Materials in Provence](/photos/2/d/8/8/4/2d884e835c70bef93ef84007bab518ae8e13a07b.jpeg)
Large Provencal wash-house-style basin with pediment in weathered stones
At the end of the eighteenth century, following numerous cholera epidemics, the first whas-houses were built. These constructions emerged everywhere after the French Emperor Napoleon III in 1851 voted a decree to open credits to encourage all municipalities to develop public laundries.