The best MTB trails around Les Essards

Port-d’Envaux, located on the left bank of the Charente, about 12 km downstream from Saintes, owes a large part of its history to its position on the river. The village was originally a fishing village, but it gradually became an important river port for trade. 1. Origins The Charente is a very ancient waterway. As early as the Gallo-Roman period, the river was used to transport salt from the coast inland. The name Port-d’Envaux refers to its location: the village is situated downstream from Taillebourg and in the middle of several "vaux" or valleys. The former parish was named Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud. 2. From the 16th to the 18th century: development of trade From the 16th century onwards, navigation on the Charente became of considerable importance. Port-d’Envaux was notably involved in the trade of: * Crazannes stone; * pottery from La Chapelle-des-Pots; * firewood and cooperage wood; * salt; * and later, wine. In the 17th century, "gabares" (barges) became the main transport vessels on the river. Successive improvements to navigation on the Charente, particularly the work undertaken under Colbert, further boosted this activity. The development of the military port of Rochefort, in particular, led to significant needs for wood and stone. 3. The 19th century: the golden age of Port-d’Envaux It was in the 19th century that Port-d’Envaux experienced its true golden age. The port became an important center for barging and shipbuilding. It housed, among other things: * boat construction yards; * marine carpenters; * sailors and captains; * sailing ships; * rope makers; * merchants. The boats transported, in particular, wine, cognac, stone, wood, and salt between the interior of Saintonge, Saintes, and the estuary of the Charente. This prosperity largely explains the presence of the large bourgeois houses and residences that can still be observed along the river. On the eve of the Revolution, Port-d’Envaux even had a navigation school, a sign of the importance of its maritime activity. 4. Gabares, sloops, and schooners The port was particularly associated with "gabares", but also with sloops and schooners. These boats made it possible to transport goods between the ports of the Charente. The "gabares" could, in particular, load stone from the neighboring quarries of Crazannes, Plassay, and Port-d’Envaux. The municipality also preserves historical documentation specifically dedicated to the "gabares" and sloops with topsails built and equipped in Port-d’Envaux. 5. The commune and its evolution The parish of Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud became a commune during the Revolution. Port-d’Envaux only truly became a communal capital in 1852, when the commune had about 1,536 inhabitants. It was also in the 19th century that the center of the village gradually moved closer to the river: the port became the true economic heart of the town. The current urban plan, with its small streets descending towards the Charente, retains traces of this evolution. 6. The decline of the port The situation changed radically at the end of the 19th century with the arrival of the railway. Rail transport, and then road transport in the 20th century, strongly competed with the boats on the Charente. In 1926, the Charente was declassified as a navigable waterway; in 1957, it was permanently removed from the list of navigable waterways. This was practically the end of the port's historic commercial vocation. 7. From commercial port to pleasure port After the disappearance of merchant traffic, Port-d’Envaux gradually turned towards pleasure boating and river tourism. Today, the port accommodates pleasure boats and is a leisure area on the banks of the Charente. However, the village strongly preserves the memory of its maritime past through its quays, its old merchant houses, its streets, and its towpath. An interesting feature The history of Port-d’Envaux is therefore closely linked to that of Crazannes stone. The stone extracted from the neighboring quarries was transported by river, which explains the existence of a real economic chain associating quarries → port → "gabares" → Charente → estuary of Rochefort. It is also this past that helps us understand why the village today has Les Lapidiales, located in old quarries, and why the commune places so much emphasis on "stone and water".

A very beautiful archway!

Impressive bridge. Well worth seeing!

A truly interesting bridge. It's worth a stop.

Almost obligatory passage to cross the Charente, but it’s worth the detour

Beautiful door

Tonnay-Charente marina and view of the suspension bridge (One of the oldest suspension bridges in Europe - 1842)

Very nice wood 🚴‍♂️🏰🤙