Attractions and Places To See around Saint-Brice - Top 20

HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF HINE In 1791, Thomas Hine (1775-1822), then aged 16, left his native land on the south coast of England to go to France… in the middle of the French Revolution. He went to Jarnac, Charente, where he was hired as a clerk in the Ranson et Delamain trading house, which produced his father’s favourite cognac. James Delamain (1738-1800), a Huguenot who had emigrated from Ireland, founded the trading house in 1763 with his father-in-law Jean-Isaac Ranson. On 3 October 1797 (13 Brumaire Year VI), Thomas Hine married Françoise Élisabeth Delamain, daughter of James Delamain and Marie Ranson. In 1817, the Ranson et Delamain house was liquidated, the heirs having been unable to agree on the succession. The eponymous son-in-law founded Thomas Hine & Co, and his cousins Paul Roullet and Henri Delamain (James' grandson) founded the Maison Roullet et Delamain seven years later, which would become Delamain et Cie. The links between the two Protestant Jarnac families remained close, and Thomas Hine's great-granddaughter, Adrienne Hine (1850-1922) married Philippe Delamain (1847-1902) - they had sons Jacques and Robert Delamain. Today, as in Thomas Hine's time, the Hine establishments line the banks of the Charente in Jarnac. The logo is inspired by Hine's speaking arms, hind meaning doe in Old English. He is lying down, his head turned backwards, symbolically looking towards England2. In 1962, Hine was granted the Royal Warrant of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and became the official supplier of cognac to the Court of England. In 1987, the company was bought by Moët Hennessy. In 2003, it became the property of the CL Financial group, which emerged from the Angostura group. The House was bought in 2013 by the Edv company. TYPOLOGY OF HINE EAUX DE VIE The House of HINE is located on the banks of the Charente, in the heart of the Cognac region. In the cellars, which ensure the protection of the precious vintages under seal, little has changed in more than 260 years. From the neighboring quays once began the journey of HINE cognacs around the world. This house is one of the oldest in Jarnac. Cognacs exclusively from the Grande and Petite Champagne vintages, a distillation with the lees, and an aging in fine grains with a light to moderate heating. Here, every manufacturing detail will be revealed to you. > To find out more: - https://hine.com/fr - Address: 16 quai Orangerie 16200 Jarnac - 05 45 35 59 59 - Visits, Tasting and Purchases possible - Opening periods: From 01/04 to 31/12 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Excluding public holidays. Full price: from €20. Free for children under 18. (Subject to change)

The Charente in this sector is lined with many castles, the area is rich thanks to the production of Cognac and Pineau.

Bourg-Charente castle is a 17th century mansion. Nestled on a rocky promontory, it is located a few kilometers from Cognac. It also houses the remains of a medieval fortress. Acquired in the 20th century, this château houses cellars for producing Grand Marnier. It can be visited from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It is in this castle that the cognac cellars of the Marnier-Lapostolle family are located, used for the production of Grand Marnier cognac.

Castle with a fairly compact architecture, rich in details and various corbels that seem to come out of a Walt Disney story. It doesn't look very well maintained, what a pity!

The Grand Marnier comes here!

Gondeville is noted in 1252, during an exchange between Jean Rot, squire, lord of Châteauneuf and Sallomon de Gondeville, knight. The lords of Gondeville have been known since the 13th century. They had the right of high, medium and low justice. In compensation for work carried out on the Charente, they had obtained the right to collect a bushel of salt on each barge of salt going up the course of the river. They came under the lordship of Bouteville. But Gondeville was not a parish and depended on that of Saint-Même. Towards the end of the 14th century, lived Foulques de Gondeville who was succeeded by his son Armand. Then came Jean Bouterouhe, whose daughter Agnès, married Guillaume de Cruc. The latter thus became lord of Gondeville and left this lordship to his heirs. His granddaughter, Magdeleine de Cruc, ceded Gondeville to Jean de La Rochebeaucourt, younger son of the house of Saint-Même and received in exchange the land of Courpignac, in Saintonge (May 10, 1590). In the early years of the 17th century, the heirs of Jean de La Rochebeaucourt sold the land of Gondeville to Samuel de Lanauve, adviser to Parliament, which was acquired in 1655 by Pierre Laisné, sieur du Chardonneaux. In 1664, he had a lawsuit with Isaac de Culant, lord of Saint Even, about the enclave of Gondreville, which he succeeded in having erected into a parish. In May 1683, he reiterated his request to King Louis XIV for a church to be built in the town. It was finally built by his son-in-law Mr de Nanclas in 1700 and thanks to a grant of 1000 pounds granted by the King. It was demolished by the storm of February 20, 1879 between 1879 and 1880 under the direction of architect Augustin Landry. New restorations took place at the beginning of the 20th century, in particular according to the plans of the architect Luis Martin.

The Château de Garde-Épée in Saint-Brice is built on the edge of a plateau overlooking the Charente in the distance. In January 1553, Sieur Ancelin, a merchant, bought this fief from the Marquis de Caravaz (the Marquis de Carabas in Perrault's tale) with permission to build a crenellated house there with a gigantic flight, fish pond and warren. Around the middle of the 17th century, Jean Ancelin having died childless, his heirs sold the domain of Garde-Épée to a Mr. Richard, who was still the owner in 1698. Finally the house of Garde-Épée passed into the family of Jarnac de Garde-Épée, which still owns it today with the abbey of Châtre, through a private company, the Société de Garde-Épée, whose main shareholder is Henri de Jarnac. On the right, before the entrance, the imposing round flight has 2600 putlogs. It is covered with a pepperbox roof with three skylights and dates from 1553. The arms of the Ancelins are visible above the door. The entrance is imposing with a carriage entrance surmounted by a long curtain wall crowned with merlons. The buildings form a vast quadrilateral. The house which occupies the north side was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century with two levels under a low roof; it is extended by two single level wings. The courtyard has a curious well covered with a roof. The castle has been listed as a historical monument since October 30, 1973.