Grosse Cloche

15th-century medieval gate and bell tower, the oldest surviving structure in Bordeaux

The Grosse Cloche — "the Big Bell" — is a medieval fortified gate on the Rue Saint-James dating from the 15th century. It is one of the oldest surviving structures in Bordeaux and one of the most photogenic: two squat stone towers flanking a vaulted passage, all worn amber-grey limestone. It was once part of the city's defensive walls and served as the town hall and prison as well as a gate.

The gate is best seen from a little distance, looking along the old pilgrim road that once ran through it toward Santiago de Compostela. The Rue Saint-James is still a lively commercial street, and the combination of medieval gate and busy French street life is very Bordeaux.

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A story
The 18-tonne bell in the tower, cast in 1775, was used to signal the start of the wine harvest every year — the official proclamation that grapes could begin to be picked. This ban de vendanges was a formal legal act: harvesting before the bell rang could result in confiscation of the crop. The bell still exists, though no longer used for this purpose.