Eschif, Historical monument in Périgueux, France

The Eschif is a watchtower built in 1347 on the ramparts of Puy-Saint-Front in Périgueux. Its upper storey of oak timber framing with wattle and daub projects over a base of rough stone from the old wall, supported by sixteen angled struts, eight on each facade. The single room inside has a pitched roof of flat tiles and a fireplace with two hearths.

Built in 1347 on the ramparts of Puy-Saint-Front, the Eschif served as a watch post over the Tournepiche bridge, which was later replaced by the Barris bridge. It stands on the site of the Maison Creyschat, destroyed the previous year by a flood of the Isle. Spared when the ramparts were demolished in 1860 for the boulevard Georges-Saumande, it was listed in 1929 as the wrongly named moulin Saint-Front, then reclassified under its own name in 1977 after the city bought it in 1976.

The name eschif comes from the Maison Creyschat, destroyed by an Isle flood in 1346; the building was long mislabelled "Vieux moulin" or "moulin de Saint-Front" because of a mill demolished in 1860. It later served for decades as a granary for the cathedral chapter.

The house can be viewed from the exterior as it sits on the publicly accessible rampart of Puy-Saint-Front. The best views are available from street level where all the construction details are visible.

The house rests on a system of oak struts that shows how medieval craftspeople used timber to stabilize structures on narrow wall tops. This support system is a rare example of medieval engineering still visible today.