It is believed that the medieval village of Entrecasteaux (which literally translates in English to “between castle”) owes its name to its geographical location.  The village is built in a valley, surrounded by three hills, each of which had a castle or fortified construction. 

The name of the village first appeared on maps of the area in the early 11th century.   In those days, it was called “Intercastellos”. The entire commune, with its narrow streets, its fountains, its church and its château, is rich in historical sites and buildings and the whole village has been classified as an historical monument. 

Many of the houses still retain some of their original features such as decorated lintels, dating back to as early as the 16th century.

The Expedition of 1791

Rear-Admiral Joseph-Antoine Raymond de Bruny d’Entrecasteaux, was the man who led the expedition which was responsible for leaving behind the earliest known example of European construction in Tasmania which, more than two centuries later, saved the historical and natural heritage of a place called Recherche Bay.

The expedition led by d’Entrecasteaux was originally commissioned by the French National Assembly to search for explorer Jean-Francois de Galaup La Perouse, who had left France in 1785 and had been out of contact for several years.  

Two store ships were prepared for the expedition; “La Recherche”,  under the command of d’Entrecasteaux and “L’Esperance”.  The crews were chosen by Louis XVI and included botanist, Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardiere and artist, Nicholas Piron, plus hydrographers, astronomers and Felix Delahaye, a gardener.

When the expedition dropped anchor at what is now known as “Recherche Bay” in southern Tasmania, they discovered rich forests, abundant sources of fresh water and plentiful supplies of food in the form of wild birds, such as parrots, ducks, pelicans and partridges.  De Labillardiere, the ship’s botanist, gathered around 5,000 plant specimens, many of them new species which were hitherto unknown in Europe, including the blue gum eucalyptus.

As a future source of fresh supplies and as a “gift from the French people to the natives of the new land”, Delahaye, the gardener, laid out a vegetable garden, planting cress, chicory, cabbages, potatoes and radishes.   

The expedition stayed at Recherche Bay for around 5 weeks, during which time they made a complete survey of the area and drew up charts.  Many of the discoveries they made have been named after the expedition, such as Bruny Island and d’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Setting sail again, they continued their search for La Perouse, travelling along the east coast of Australia, through the islands of Indonesia and down the west coast of the Australian mainland, leaving behind more places named after their expedition, such as Point d’Entrecasteaux and Esperance Bay.

In 1793, they returned to Recherche Bay to replenish supplies and were disappointed to find that the vegetable garden had failed to flourish.  D’Entrecasteaux died from scurvy 6 months later, the expedition disintegrated and the ships ended up being seized by the colonial Dutch and sold.  Their search for La Perouse was unsuccessful.

More than two centuries later, the French expedition’s gift to the natives of the new land proved to be the salvation of the historic forest of Recherche Bay when the remains of the “secret garden” were rediscovered in 2003 by local people who were campaigning against logging in the area.  The crumbled rock walls of the garden were authenticated by archaeologists as those laid out by the French in 1792-93, making the site Tasmania’s earliest known European construction and hence of first-order national significance.

The garden stands on a privately-owned area of forest that was scheduled to be completely cleared, but in 2006 the owners agreed to sell their historic property to the Tasmanian Land Conservancy to be managed for the nation.

Thanks to d’Entrecasteaux and his expedition, the area is now listed as a National Heritage site and the forests, with their wealth of plant and animal life, are safe from logging.  So, despite the fact that it didn’t flourish as they had hoped it would, the vegetable garden left behind in Tasmania by the French expedition all those years ago turned out to be a valuable gift to the natives of the new land, after all.

The Château & Gardens

The commune’s most important historical feature is the château which stands on foundations of solid rock, dominating the village.  Its emplacement was originally the site of an 11th century fortress.  It later underwent several alterations and was finally rebuilt in the 17th century by the Comte de Grignan, the then Governor of Provence, who also added the gardens which were designed by André Le Nôtre, who designed the famous gardens of Versailles and whose distinctive geometrical style and use of perspective is still recognised today as being the epitome of garden design “à la Française”.

In the 17th century the château was a place where noble families united to wine and dine and this is reflected in the style and decor of the interior, which is reminiscent of a fine, country bastide, while still retaining many of the traditional features of a fortress.

In 1784, the château was indirectly embroiled in a scandal when its owner, the Marquis d’Entrecasteaux, Jean-Baptiste Bruny, murdered his young wife and spent the rest of his days languishing in a Portuguese jail.  With the coming of the French Revolution, the people wanted to see the château torn down, but fortunately the local curé stepped-in and the monument was saved.

Today, the château is privately-owned and has been completely restored by its owner, Mr. Alain Gayral, who has furnished it with tapestries, paintings, furniture and fittings in keeping with the historical époque.

The château is open to the public for guided tours which take place at 4pm from Easter to October, every day except Saturday, and is open all year round for group visits.  An additional tour is offered at 11.30am during the month of August.  Prices are 7€ for adults, 4€ for students and children.

For more details see the website:
http://chateau.entrecasteaux.org/fr or call 04.94.04.43.95.

********** 

Entrecasteaux 2007

An interview with Romain Debray, Maire-Adjoint of Entrecasteaux.

The thing which came across most strongly during my chat with Romain Debray was the Mairie’s commitment to preserving the natural patrimony of Entrecasteaux.  Not surprising perhaps, considering that agriculture, specifically olive oil, and viticulture, are the principal industries of Entrecasteaux.  Along with tourism, of course.

But, as Mr. Lebray pointed out, these very different industries are nonetheless mutually-dependent, since it is the excellent locally-produced olive oil and the white, red and rosé wines from the commune’s three wine-growing Domaines, which are largely responsible for attracting so many visitors to the area.

Quite a few of these visitors fall in love with the 3,211 hectares of unspoilt countryside which make up Entrecasteaux and end up becoming residents.  The past ten years have seen an influx of new arrivals, including Dutch, Belgian, German and British people who, combined, account for a little under 10% of Entrecasteaux’s permanent residents. The different nationalities integrate well and their families rapidly become a part of the local community.

“In fact, we have recently added an extra class to our primary school in order to cater for the growing number of children in the commune,” Mr. Debray tells me.

How does one go about accommodating the  growing numbers of new residents, whilst preserving the natural patrimony of the commune?

“We work within the POS (Plan d’Occupation des Sols) which we inherited from the previous administration,” Mr. Debray explains.  “We are very much aware of the value of our open spaces and the natural beauty of our countryside.  If we were to cover everything with concrete, we would be destroying our greatest asset, so we always bear this in mind when planning new developments within the commune.”

I remark how much I’d enjoyed the drive  through open countryside to Entrecasteaux and the fact that I hadn’t seen a traffic light for miles...until I arrived at Entrecasteaux, and had to stop at the red light at the entrance to the village.

He grins and explains that the traffic light in question caused a great deal of consternation when the idea for its installation was first put forward.

“The entrance to the village is very narrow,” Mr. Debray explains. “It was a real bottleneck, particularly in the summer.  A “feu rouge” to regulate the flow of traffic seemed the most obvious solution.”

But the people of Entrecasteaux weren’t so sure: “A traffic light?” they said, incredulously.  “A traffic light in Entrecasteaux?”   The very idea seemed preposterous.

However they changed their minds when they saw how well it worked and now, 7 or 8 years later, according to Mr. Debray, the villagers are grateful for its presence.

Environmental issues are high on the Mairie’s list of priorities.  Mr. Debray is keen to tell me about the various initiatives Entrecasteaux has adopted.

“Anything which is recyclable gets recycled”, he explained.  “Non-biodegradable materials are sorted and sent for recycling.  We even have a system in place to help people dispose of their old cars.”

The commune also provides many sports and recreational facilities for its residents, including a playground for children, a charming picnic area on the edge of the river “Bresque”, a terrain de boules, tennis courts, a football pitch and cricket ground.

When I mention cricket, Mr. Debray can’t help smiling: the Entrecasteaux Cricket Club has gone from strength to strength and two of the club’s junior players were recently chosen to play for the Under Fifteen National Squad.

Is it true that Mr. Debray plays cricket?

He shrugs disarmingly and admits that he does play occasionally, having learned the sport when he spent two months in Aylesbury in the UK, as a boy.  In fact, cricket is not Mr. Debray’s only link to the UK; he is married to a British woman and, it turns out, he speaks excellent English. Mr. Debray also runs a pizzeria in the village and is almost as well-known for his pizza as he is for his role of Deputy Mayor.  But do the two roles ever overlap?

He admits that, as well as deputising for the Maire and the other official obligations he fulfils as Maire-Adjoint, the fact that he is so well-known and accessible within the village means that he is unofficially “on call” more or less permanently.

“We are a small commune and do not have the vast array of support services that a larger town can rely upon. 

Well, you can’t blame them, can you?

Given the choice between taking a formal rendez-vous and standing in line in the Mairie or popping into the local restaurant for a good pizza and a glass of the excellent local rosé, accompanied by a tête-à-tête with the restaurateur, who just happens to be the Maire-Adjoint, I think I know which option most of us would choose!

The Mairie building dates from the 17th century and from 1627 to 1682 served as La Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs. 

Les Pénitents were local people who performed charitable deeds.  The word “blanc” (white) refers to the colour of their sack-like robes.  

The chapel was used as their meeting place and it was also where Les Pénitents buried their dead.

These articles appeared in The Riviera Reporter Var Supplement, issue August/September 2007.

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