I have looked everywhere I can think of for some history on Champagnac-la-Riviere, but I am unable to find anything except dry facts and statistics! Despite it being so apparently undistinguished, and having taken the photos earlier in the year, I thought I would go ahead and let you see what a lovely little village it is.
Champagnac-la-Rivière has about 558 inhabitants and lies in the wooded Tardoire river valley, within the department of Haute Vienne. It is close toOradour-sur-Vayres,
Champagnac-la-Rivière has about 558 inhabitants and lies in the wooded Tardoire river valley, within the department of Haute Vienne. It is close to
I never did find the Château pictured above, despite following the signs to it!! I suspect it was behind closed gates at the end of an avenue of trees, but there was no sign at the gate!
Above and below, the pretty church. Sadly the doors were closed, so I could not take photos inside.
Thanks to Magda who has discovered for me it is the church of
Saint-Laurent-sur-Gorre: église 12è/15è.
This barn was just to the side of the church, which showed to me just how much the farming community and religious life are interlinked in rural France.
Above and below, some of the residential properties. According to one website I visited, there are 76 vacant properties in the village, one of which no doubt is the mansion pictured further on!
The following three photos are of the Mairie with the small travelling market outside. These mobile shops are indispensible to country folk who can't or don't want to travel far to the shops.
If you are interested in buying the mansion above, which requires lots of renovation(=money!), see the phone number below to contact.
This view of the same house, with the church spire behind, makes it look quite spectacular!!
The main street through the town sports a bar and a pizzeria, both of which looked very nice from the outside. I was there just before lunchtime, so there was little activity - everyone was at the market!
Of course no village or town in France would be complete without its war memorial.
That looks like a lovely wee village. I bet it's a close knit community too.
ReplyDeleteEllie it is a lovely village, I wish that I had more time there but.... Yes it is probably a close knit community, but I find even here in our little hamlet that politics are important. I never invite anyone right wing around if there is someone left wing here. They would be polite, but the relaxed drink would become very formal. Diane
ReplyDeleteHello Diane:
ReplyDeleteAlthough as you say at the start, there may not be anything particularly distinguished about this particular village it does from your photographs have a certain charm and is, most likely, representative of many such places in rural France where life continues much in the same way as it has done for centuries. And this we find so appealing.
As for the Manor House, we shall pass on that after our fairly recent experiences! But it is a little alarming that there should be quite so many empty properties available.
Hi Diane, thanks for sharing all the beautiful pictures. All your pictures are so well taken and l love those church building, very nice.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
regards Amelia
What a delightful village Diane, not sure we are ready for another renovation project just yet. :)
ReplyDeleteOmygoodness, there are so many things I'd like to comment on in this post but I'll try to be brief.
ReplyDeleteI just love the rock work in that old church and the old barn is so cool too.
Mobile shops? ... now that's an idea that may be put to good use here ...
I'd love to buy that old mansion but don't have the renovation ... :)
That war memorial is sure lok pretty and so as the village. The merial war reminds me of Korea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for informing me about this new post.
Take care
Rose
Jane and Lance thanks so much for your very kind comment. Re the empty houses. Much of the problem in France is the law. If the owner of the property should pass on, if no other arrangement has been made, the house goes to the closest relative or relatives. Quite often the person does not want it or lives far away. Nothing is selling at the moment, and quite often they get into such a state they fall down. I have no idea what happens about taxes under these circumstances.
ReplyDeleteNot far from us there is a lovely little farm house with a couple of barns, it has been empty for years and it is now starting to crumble. I find it very sad. The young French find renovation too expensive, and they are now building new houses all over the place. Sadly they do not fit the style we are used to. France is changing but we still love it. Diane
Amelia's De-ssert thanks for you kind comments. I only have a very cheap camera which I use on auto,it amazes me that some photos are so good. Take care. Diane
ReplyDeleteMy dear friend Diane
ReplyDeleteThank you for interesting trips in this beautiful village!
Your photos are very beautiful!!!
I found in the Internet name of the church -Saint-Laurent-sur-Gorre: église 12è/15è.
I wish you are well on your health.
Many greetings and kisses
Lindy I think looking at that from the outside it would be a big renovation, but of course if I went inside maybe I would be surprised! Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteGraham I did not see inside the mansion but I suspect it needs a lot of work!! There are so many lovely stone buildings here, our own house is one of them :)
ReplyDeleteYea, a travelling market could work well over there, a new business for you!! Keep well Diane
chubskulit there are so many war memorials in France, some are quite lovely. Have a good week. Diane
ReplyDeleteWhat great pics of the little village, Diane! I can't imagine the cost of renovating the mansion but bet it would be gorgeous! Not everyone's mansion includes a church steeple as background! Too bad you couldn't enter and take some pics. Love these old buildings!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely little village. It looks so calm and peacful. Quite the opposite to the bussle of London.
ReplyDeleteDear Diane, I hope you're doing better and Christmas will find you recovered. Such a lovely town. Those memorials always make me think how useless wars are and how we never learn from them.
ReplyDeleteI loved the sorrel soup! I must have some in my garden as soon as possible! Take care
Magda thanks so much for that. I have just looked it up and it is actually on one of the sites I was looking at but missed the name!!! New glasses required LOL. I have put a note on the post. Wishing you all the very best Hugs Diane
ReplyDeleteNo wonder it's such a quiet town with all those empty properties. I really like the architecture just not how close together everything is.
ReplyDeletePam I was really sad the door was closed. I even tried walking all around to see if there was a small door somewhere!
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know how much the renovation would be but I am very sure it would be way beyond our pocket! Keep well, both you and Bill. Diane
Boye By Red I am not fond of large cities, the small ones suit me just fine :) Take care Diane
ReplyDeletePamela, I could not agree more, wars are just a waste and how many young people never come back! Thanks for your visit. Have a good week Diane
ReplyDeleteGaelyn I know just how you feel by houses being so close. I also love the wide open spaces and I think we are very lucky to be in a small hamlet of only 10 houses. Nobody overlooks us and we are fully hedged and private. There was a lot of people at the market. The restaurants only get busy at 12h00 when the French have a 2 hour lunch break! Diane
ReplyDeleteCrikey Diane, a pizzeria? What swank...we have a visiting kebab van on a Friday night, once a month.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the walk though, merci.
SP
I've worked on one ancient house in my time and I think I don't have the energy to do it again... but boy, that place could tempt me... something about a wreck waiting for tender care and all my bells and whistles go off!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a lovely town...b ut so many sales?? What's going on??
S.P you are luckier than we are. Our little hamlet does not even have a kebab van once a month ! We do though, in our closest town about 5 kms away, have a choice of restaurants :)) We never go out to eat though. A big celebration for us (birthdays), is a place in another near by town, a six course luncheon with wine at €9 Diane
ReplyDeletelostpastremembered firstly there are not that many houses for sale. They are just empty. See my answer to Jane and Lance at the top.
ReplyDeleteThe restoration that we have done here is quite enough for me, and we still have 3 rooms that we want to put into the barn!!
Keep well Diane
These villages are really nice and make for interesting discoveries!
ReplyDeleteFauna photography is so demanding that I would not have time to nose around villages!
Lovely promenade nonetheless!
I see you're back to normal again! :)
Cheers and enjoy your day!
Noushka not back to normal, still coughing badly at night. I see the specialist again tomorrow so we will see what she has to say.
ReplyDeleteI love these little villages, but as you say looking for fauna is VERY time consuming, and having found them it is not always easy to take photos. I need a better camera to be able to do that. When I win the lottery, camera is first on the list :) Bonne journée. Diane x
Another gorgeous little place - thanks for showiung us. I;m emtying my money box to see if we can afford the mini chateau!x
ReplyDeleteDiane it would be great to have you 30 mins down the road. I will come and help with the renovations LOL. Hope the piggy is a big piggy!! Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteI wish I can visit all the little villages you have visited. They are look so serene and beautiful. I am so glad to see so many beautiful places through your eyes. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane .. love the photos and the story line .. would love to visit .. just so rural and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you're sounding a little better and hope things are improving .. good luck tomorrow with the consultant ..
Cheers for now .. perhaps we should all empty our money boxes and live there a la commune? - we'd need a few lines for our blogs .. simple pleasures otherwise?! .. Hilary
Quay Po Cooks, I am so pleased that you enjoy these tours. I think bloggers are lucky to see so many parts of the world that we would not normally see through the eyes of others. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteHilary that is a great idea if we all put in a bit so long as everyone is prepared to do some work on the building. We could all meet up for holidays through the year LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good wishes for tomorrow. I am certainly better than I was but it is taking a very long time! Keep well Diane
Hi Diane, thank you for sharing the beautiful photos. It looks like its a quaint village.. I hope your caugh is better. Tak ecare
ReplyDeleteMarco Pasha, it is a lovely village, I should have spent more time there but everything always seems to be in a rush! I see the specialist again tomorrow so we will see what she has to say :) Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Diane the little village of Champagnac-la-Riviere looks my sort of place. If I win the Irish Lotto maybe I will buy that beautiful mansion! I would be living beside church so wouldn't have far to walk, the idea of a sports bar and pizzeria would cater to my social life, AND mobile shops would be handy as I don't drive! A lovely studio could be included in the renovation plans :)
ReplyDeleteI have made a note of the telephone number...just in case XX
What a lovely village. It is a shame beautiful old homes are not lived in..but I think this is the problem all over..many are empty here too.
ReplyDeleteThe trucks with goods on them, reminds me of our Farmer's markets..They bring their goods once a week to a certain area and people buy stuff from them..They will stop here till spring.
Hope you are feeling much better..
Sending warmest regards..Carolyn
I know what I like the most in your blog...it's the positive feeling I get each time I read your posts, regardless of whether it contains recipes, walking through a village, or something from your personal life.
ReplyDeletewow..wat a fantastic post..
ReplyDeletelovely cliks..
just found your space..
love your space..
excellent posts with nice presentation..
Am your happy follower now..;)
do stop by mine sometime..
Tasty Appetite
Dolly that would be wonderful. You could make a fantastic studio there, You would have plenty of room for visitors, I only live 30 minutes away, now you had better buy a lottery ticket LOL
ReplyDeleteWeather here horrible today, rain and very strong winds, and I wanted to go and take photos at the Christmas market. I have no idea what they will do as it is outside!!
We have to fight the weather this afternoon though as I am off to see the specialist again. Keep well Diane xx
Carolyn it is so sad to see the old stone houses being allowed to crumble, meanwhile new houses are popping up all over. See my answer to Jane and Lance.
ReplyDeleteOff to see the specialist today so we will see what answers we get (if we can understand her fast French)
Thanks for the good wishes. Hope your family is also doing well. Take care Diane
Thanks Olga for such a kind comment, I am not sure that I always feel positive but.....Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteJay thanks so much for your visit, and kind comments, pleased to 'meet' you. Glad you enjoy my blog and hope to see you back soon. Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteThe manor house looks like it would be a wonderful, grand family home if anyone could afford to do it up.
ReplyDeleteHang on - I'll just check my lottery ticket....!!
Thanks for sharing these lovely place, next time show us the inside of the church, hope that time the door is open, hehehe..
ReplyDeleteAnother lovely place. The little stone houses are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLa preuve que la France est un beau pays.Il y a toujours de nouvelles belles découvertes.
ReplyDeleteA très bientôt
Another nice village. You live is such a beautiful area!
ReplyDeleteDear friend Diane
ReplyDeleteIt's very kind of you, that you put my name, but it was not necessary.
I did it for you. I will rejoice and be well! And do not go out to cold, please.
With love and friendship
Magda
Jean I am not sure I want a house quite that big even if I do win the lottery :) Diane
ReplyDeleteSonia I was sorry the church was closed . If I go that way again I will take another look :) Diane
ReplyDeleteThanks JM, the stone buildings are beautiful. it is sad that restoration is so expensive and many are being abandoned. Diane
ReplyDeleteNadji. Merci pour votre visite et commentaire. Bon week-end. Diane
ReplyDeletePam I am so happy in this area and yes it is a beautiful place. Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteMagda it was a pleasure to put your name on the post. Keep well and keep warm. Hugs Diane x
ReplyDeletealthough this little village seems a little undistinguished like what you mentioned, it appears quite nice to me...maybe very quiet, i think most of those living in this village must be from the elderly group. what a thoughtful and convenience idea to hv those mobile shops!
ReplyDeleteLena there are a lot of retired people in the small villages you are right. The mobile shops are just the answer for them. Diane
ReplyDelete