Thank you, Akira and Erik.
Akira, you made me look up de Chirico. I was vaguely aware of his being a part of "surrealism", which is no longer fashionable, but remains interesting all the same.
The spot is a private alley orthogonal to rue St Jacques in Lille. Dark, damp bricks, some even painted in black, reminding some gloomy places in Harry Potter.
Sorry for the plastic cover hiding the gas meter, France's GDF managed to make the ugliest buildings look even uglier.