Visiting the historic Foundation House near the Centre Marie-Rose, one thing is immediately obvious: it’s small. And when you consider that at one time, up to 73 people (teaching sisters and students) could live there, it’s very small indeed. A situation that gave full meaning to the term “space optimization”.
The boarders and sisters slept upstairs (teachers on one side, students on the other). The straw mattresses were stored above in the attic. Obviously, there was no question of installing a staircase, which in such a situation would probably have taken the place of ten beds.
The solution: a pulley ladder, which opened a trapdoor in the ceiling to access the straw mattresses. A mechanism that can still be admired today when visiting the house.
Needless to say, as the attic was not insulated, these mattresses must have been particularly, shall we say, refreshing in winter?