Stroll through Châtelaillon and Fouras, in Charente-Maritime, to stock up on oysters and beautiful villas
Châtelaillon was built from scratch. Fouras was a fishing village. The two small towns in Charente-Maritime became popular seaside resorts in the early days of sea bathing. And still are today.
When the Compagnie des Charentes, concessionaire of the train line opened between La Rochelle and Rochefort in 1873, established a stop at Châtelaillon, there was nothing other than a marsh, a pine forest and dunes.
"The promoters of the Compagnie des Charentes saw the potential of this area to create a seaside resort," recalls Jean-Louis Mahé, a La Rochelle historian specializing in urban planning and architecture, and author of a book on the villas of Châtelaillon . They therefore bought hectares of land from the Green family of Saint-Marsault, who had owned them since the end of the Ancien Régime.
Photo Patricia Marini
A huge local fortune, Alcide d'Orbigny acquired 25 plots of land and had the highly symbolic Château d'Orbigny built, as well as a casino which was completed in four months.
When it went bankrupt in 1878, the company was bought by the State Railways Company, and the land was frozen. In the meantime, a few villas were built further south at the initiative of Gabriel Fauconnier, a lawyer from Barbezieux (Charente), whose wife was wealthy. He designed his own housing development. "In 1882, a wide boulevard was laid out to structure the development, and a church and a covered market were built, symbolically offering spiritual and earthly nourishment to the first inhabitants."
Tux-Man/Wikimedia
But the resort had a difficult start. It would take until 1890 for it to finally come to fruition. Taking advantage of a more prosperous context, the State Company eventually sold its land. A wealthy local, Alcide d'Orbigny acquired 25 plots and built the highly symbolic Château d'Orbigny, which has since become the Villa Stella, as well as a casino that was completed in four months, a record time.
Sumptuous residences then emerged, following the basic principle of seaside architecture: "See and be seen." An architecture that "must not be dissociated from the way of life of the time," insists the historian. The most beautiful of these, like the Villa des Algues, were built in corners and used materials—bricks, slates, tiles—brought in by train. Others, like wooden chalets, were ordered in kit form from a catalog, with the elements then assembled on site. This is the case of the exotic Kristiania.
Photo Patricia Marini
Photo Patricia Marini
With this "architecture of letting off steam," as Jean-Louis Mahé defines it, anything goes. Even the simple houses, which remain the majority, are adorned with carved wood, friezes, lambrequins, or cabochons.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the new seaside resort attracted a small and middle class embodied by Stéphanie Roumégous, a tour guide specializing in dramatized tours . She slips with the greatest ease into the costume of Albertine, who has come for the seaside bathing season. As such, she shares with the public her taste for local architecture as well as her perfect mastery of the etiquette of the time, while distilling a little gossip.
"Did you have a good trip?" she asks her visitors as she greets them in front of the station. "I've booked you a room at the Beauséjour Hotel, the best place to stay."
Photo Patricia Marini
She uses her character as a pretext to show how people displayed their wealth on the facades of villas, and how they entertained themselves during the beautiful evenings at the casino, the heart of social life.
The village of Boucholeurs, south of Châtelaillon, was also a point of curiosity where people came to "watch the oyster farmers at work." It remains today a pleasant destination for a walk, accessible by bike, where people go to taste oysters at the very place where they were produced.
Photo archives Romuald Augé
The Boucholeurs shellfish farming cooperative brings together 29 oyster farmers, who raise mollusks in the traditional way, respecting their own rhythm, and 5 mussel farmers (who produce mussels). Laurence Gaté is the president. In her cabin, where she works with her mother, she leads educational tours "to introduce [her] world and the joy of raising oysters."
Photo Patricia Marini
"The water temperature and salinity here provide ideal conditions for reproduction, making this area a birthing pool," she explains. This is all the more convincing given that, for her, like her mother, this was a late career change and they had to find a place in a male world.
Fouras, the other seaside resortFouras, 20 kilometers further south, shares with Châtelaillon the fact that it is a large breeding ground for oysters, and its oyster-farming district is very active. However, these two stations have different origins.
In this former fishing town dominated by a fort and bordered by an undeveloped military zone, seaside tourism developed from the 1840s. It accelerated in the 1870s due to the lifting of military easements, which made land available, and the arrival of the train.
The most imposing villas were built facing the ocean, in the Bois-Vert area, home to the casino. As soon as the western seafront became saturated, buyers turned to the northern beach.
Photo Patricia Marini
named after the man who had it built, a lawyer from Rochefort">Photo Patricia Marini
The most beautiful buildings are on the front row, followed by more modest ones in the second and third rows. With the direct Paris Austerlitz-Fouras train, which connects the town in eleven and a half hours, "new materials are changing the appearance of the villas, which now feature ridges and polychrome," says Benoît Lacoste, curator of the museum housed in Fort Vauban.
To explore the village, follow the signs along the streets, illustrated with postcards that retrace its history. But don't hesitate to take side roads, leading for example to the fishing district, whose small, low houses are stuck together.
The fort houses a regional museum which dedicates a space to seaside history">Photo Patricia Marini
Climbing onto the platform of Fort Vauban, which contains interesting documents on the birth of this seaside resort spread out between holm oak woods and beaches, you can take in the peninsula at a glance. Each in their own way, Châtelaillon and Fouras have managed to capitalize on their assets over time, without ostentation, and this is what now attracts a family clientele.
Photo Patricia Marini
Find out more:
chatelaillon-plage-tourisme.fr
Things to see and do in ChâtelaillonSeaside villas tour , to be done independently using the booklet on sale at the tourist office (€3).
Amaury Dubois' fresco in the Sainte-Madeleine church in Châtelaillon (audio guide available for €4 at the tourist office).
Discover the oyster production process with oyster farmer Laurence Gaté, book at the tourist office. Facebook: Huîtres Caillon Gaté .
Things to see and do in FourasFort Vauban , for its breathtaking view and its regional museum , which devotes a space to seaside history. Guided tours every day, except Mondays, at 2 p.m., until the third weekend in September (€7.50/€5).
Where to eat?La Petite Cabane. In this bistro, the owner greets customers who have booked by their first name. A short, bistro-style menu, where everything is homemade with produce from the auction and market. Menu €41. 6, avenue du Général-Leclerc, in Châtelaillon-Plage. Tel. 05 46 56 26 63. bistrotlapetitecabane.fr
Gaya, at La Grande Terrasse. This hotel complex, belonging to the CGR Cinémas group, includes several restaurants. The gourmet menu is created by multi-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire. In a new, intimate setting with 34 seats facing the sea, you can enjoy sophisticated and gourmet seafood cuisine (lunch menu at €75), paired with 750 wines. More affordable, the bistro has a popular outdoor terrace (starters €17-20, main courses €20-28, desserts €12). Avenue de la Falaise, in Châtelaillon-Plage. Tel. 05 46 56 54 30. www.la-grande-terrasse.com/restaurants/restaurant-le-bistrot/
La Retenue. This beach restaurant is worth a visit for its oysters and mussels with an Asian twist, or its jonchée served burrata-style, to be enjoyed with your toes in the sand. Starters €9-12, main courses €18-22. Until the end of September. Large beach in Fouras. laretenuefouras.fr
Maison Margat. A family business where you can enjoy oysters and mussels facing Île Madame. Open at lunchtime and Saturday evenings, weather permitting. Until the end of November. Boulevard de la Fumée, in Fouras. Tel. 06 10 67 15 66. maisonmargat.fr
Where to sleep?Hôtel d'Orbigny. A very friendly welcome awaits you in this small, family-run hotel with 21 simple, comfortable rooms and a swimming pool, which showcases local contemporary artists. Delicious homemade cakes at breakfast (€15). Double rooms from €85. 47 Boulevard de la République, Châtelaillon-Plage. Tel. +33 5 46 56 24 68. hotel-dorbigny.com
Grand Hôtel des Bains. This former coaching inn has been converted into a charming hotel with 37 elegant rooms, an indoor pool, sauna, and hammam. Double rooms from €109, breakfast €14. 15, rue du Général-Bruncher, Fouras. Tel. 05 46 84 03 44. grandhotel-desbains.fr
