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A bit of history...
Like all old buildings, this house has its own history.
I named it “Villa Angèle” because, according to the commune's 1911 census records, one of its first occupants was Angèle de Dampierre, daughter of Guillaume Guy de Dampierre, Comte de Dampierre, who built the Château de Nieuil.
She was married in 1899 to Duc Xavier Féry d'Esclands, an infantry lieutenant, and in 1907 to Edmond Marie “Jacques” Thévenin de Tanlay.
Angèle de Dampierre lived in this house with her daughter Marguerite Thévenin de Tanlay, born in 1908 in Paris, until 1930, when Marguerite married Edouard Dufresne de la Chauvinière, French ambassador and chief of protocol.
Angèle de Dampierre lived here until her death in 1938.
Several years later, the house belonged to the former mayor of Saint-Claud, Monsieur Rémondet,
who lived here with his family as a grain and seed merchant and trader.
As for me, I acquired it in September 2023, and a great deal of renovation work was required.
Saint-Claud and surrounding areas
Saint-Claud is a small village of around 1,000 inhabitants, but it is home to several shops:
two restaurants, a tobacconist, a bakery, a supermarket, an ATM, a pharmacy, a post office, a garage, a butcher and two hairdressers.
There's an oyster vendor on the square on Saturday mornings and a pizza food-truck on Friday evenings.
The municipal outdoor swimming pool is open in July and August.
On the Place Sadi Carnot (main square), an electric vehicle charging station is available just a 5-minute walk from the gîte.
Nearby Chasseneuil is an 8-minute drive away, with an Intermarché (gas pumps, laundromat) and a Lidl.
In La Rochefoucauld (15 minutes away), in addition to the castle and historic town center, you'll find numerous restaurants, pretty little boutiques and a large Leclerc center.
Angoulême, with its train station, museums, town center and comic strip festival, is 35 minutes away.
Many walks and activities are possible on foot, by bike around Saint-Claud or by kayak on the lakes of Haute-Charente. For more information, consult the Cirkwi app.
In addition to Angoulême and La Rochefoucauld, there are many other sites to visit: the villages of Nanteuil and Verteuil, Confolens, Cognac and its cellars, Jarnac, the Gallo-Roman theater of Les Bouchauds, the villa of Maria Casarès, the comic strip festival, the ramparts circuit in Angoulême, the Futuroscope... and many more.
Golf is available at several clubs, including the 18-hole Golf Club de l'Hirondelle in Angoulême, the 18-hole Golf International de la Prèze and the 9-hole Golf of Garat.
For more information, visit the Charente Limousine tourist office website
or or the one in Angoulême
During the Second World War, Saint-Claud was in the free zone, and the demarcation line is marked in several places in the surrounding countryside.
Many sites in the Charente are linked to the Resistance, including the Chasseneuil memorial.
About me
Finally, a few words about me.
My name is Geneviève and I live in the other part of the house
with my Labrador dog.
I'll welcome you personally when you arrive, but after that,
I'll let you enjoy the gîte in peace and quiet,
but I'll be at your disposal if you need me.
I hope you enjoy your stay at Gîte Villa Angèle.