Poitiers Great Hall

This is the site is the old mediaeval Palace of Poitiers, built by the Dukes of Aquitaine above the old Roman wall at the highest part of the city. The legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine built what was then the biggest dining room in the world here, and this great hall remains behind the 19th Century facade of the Poitiers law courts which stand here now.

Duchess of Aquitaine, Countess of Poitiers, sometime Queen Consort of France, Duchess of Normandy, Queen Consort and then Queen Mother of England, Eleanor's antics are the stuff of 1980s soap opera. Mediaeval history is rich, lurid, and fascinating - I wish I had paid more attention in school when stories of serfs, lords and villeins seemed so dull...