Prochain point : lat="49.131" lon="2.05052"
The post house
A strategic location
An old post house…
The edifice was probably built in the middle of the 18th century. Post houses came into existence at the end of the 15th century on the main communication links with the creation of the Royal Riders service that transported royal correspondence. Transporting private letters only started under Henry IV. Grisy-les-Plâtres is situated on the old royal route linking Pontoise to Beauvais. The high number of post houses enabled regular breaks where the horses could be changed and the men could have something to eat. Therefore, the postmaster always needed to have several horses ready, buildings to accommodate the crews and the mounts, and a stock of hay. On the eve of the French Revolution, there were approximately 1400 post houses and about 2000 in 1850 with densification of the road network. The development of the railway, from 1850, caused the decline of post houses and in 1873 the institution was suppressed.
…providing additional horses
Some post houses provided additional horses for climbing steep routes. Essentially, draft horses were used. The decision to allocate additional horses depended on strict rules according to the type of vehicle, the number of pre-existing horses and the number of passengers. A postilion was responsible for driving the coach by riding one of the horses, unlike the coach driver who guided the coach from the carriage. As the plate above stipulates, at the end of the journey, the horses had to be given back. Beyond this plate that marks the end of the hill, it was necessary to retrieve the original draft horses.
