La Maison du Bois

The commune of Pointe-Noire is located on the western coast of North Basse Terre. The region of Pointe-Noire has historically been dependent on the exportation and transformation of wood. It is here that the national parks department (Parc National de Guadeloupe) has built La Maison du Bois (The House of Wood).

La Maison du Bois is composed of two parts: a small interactive museum dedicated to the history of wood and woodworking in Pointe Noire, and an outdoor arboretum.

Inside la Maison, wooden utensils, toys, and various wooden artifacts are on display in the first rooms.

Left, a bamboo fish trap.


In the following rooms, there are displays discussing the economic and ecological impact of wood in the region. Informative panels demonstrate the differences in wood types and uses.

The highlight is a reconstruction of a traditional case (shack). The furniture and items featured inside the house belonged to an actual family from Pointe-Noire. In a video shown on the opposite wall, one of the daughters - now well into her 50's - describes growing up as a child in this case.

A carpenter's studio dominates one corner of la Maison du Bois. The collection of tools is impressive. You won't find any table saws or power sanders here. There are demonstrations of woodworking from time to time, but on the day of my visit, the tools sat unused on the work table covered with sawdust.

At the end of the visit, two large rooms have been set aside for local carpenters to show off their creations. Excellent craftmanship and particular care is evident in all the pieces. While a few items seem to strive for more contemporary and modern design, most of the furniture follows more traditional design.

Left, slightly awkward forms on an otherwise beautiful lounging chair.


Outside la Maison du Bois, a wooden walkway meanders through the grounds. Various species of trees line the walkway. There are several gazebos, and on the day of our visit, one was occupied by a drummer who was demonstrating the different beats of gwo-ka, a traditional music of Guadeloupe.

Above, the wooden walkway meanders through a sparse and dry arboretum.

Ultimately, La Maison du Bois is a bit of a disappointment. Despite the museum-quality displays, the visitor experience leaves much to be desired. Displays in one room sat in the dark. The wooden toys and fishermen's tools were dusty. The English subtitles for the video inside the reconstructed case refused to appear. The entire 3-panelled audio display for traditional Créole folk stories was not working. The signage for the trees were all water damaged and barely legible. The specimens themselves were hardly spectacular.

Despite the interesting topic, the displays themselves remain uninteresting. This is a fact has not escaped the staff; Perhaps in a last ditch effort to keep the visitor interested, computer print-outs of Créole sayings, with the French translation underneath, were scotch-taped to the walls of La Maison.

La Maison is probably far more interesting if presented by a guide, and would definitely benefit from everything being in working order (the lights, the audio, the carpenter's studio, etc.). While younger children might appreciate the interactiveness of the place, adults may find themselves hurrying out the door to get back to the beach.