Villas on Bureau Cove
The first seaside homes and tourism infrastructure (craft studios, shops, restaurants and hotels) were established along Rue de l’Océan between 1860 and 1880.
The first villa was built by Georges Coindreau in 1861. Named Les Sapins (The Pines), it was located on the big lot behind the customs house. At that time, villas were usually designed in a chalet style. That style, influenced by mountain architecture, is characterized by cube-shaped buildings topped by a gable roof with a central ridge, with windows and doors arranged along that same line. The epitome of this chalet style chalet is Villa Nelly on Rue de l’Océan.
The second style that appeared beginning in the 1890’s was the cottage style, inspired by houses in the English countryside. These homes have square footprints and are laid out on one or two stories. Close to the port, the large villa Les Iris is a perfect example of this style.
Villa Minerve
Built in 1902 atop a promontory along Les Pierrières cliffs, Villa Minerve started out as just a traditional chalet.
Then, around 1929, it was covered up by another structure, in a different architectural style with Moorish inspirations. Massive buttresses provide reinforcements along the cliff, making the whole property impressive and unique.
Oceanfront lounges
Many landowners along Bureau Cove wanted to have their own summer lounges overlooking the water. These small structures set up at the end of a garden bring those lucky individuals closer to the ocean. These “ocean lounges” can be very comfortably arranged and form an almost natural extension of the main home. Farther afield, on the heights of Les Pierrières and Le Platin, another kind of summer lounge with ocean views could once be found, called gloriettes. Unfortunately, none of those delicate buildings remains today.
Maison des Douanes (Customs House)
When the first municipal land registry was established in 1837, only one building (aside from the old church) appeared along Bureau Cove: the customs office.
It was built in 1729 to house the employees of the farmers-general, who were responsible for collecting taxes.
After the creation of the General Customs Administration (1780), followed by the elimination of Ferme Générale (the existing outsourced customs, excise and indirect tax system) (1792), the building was renamed the Customs Office. Having become dilapidated, it was reconstructed in 1840.
When seaside homes began to pop up all around it, the new house and the beach both took on its name, Le Bureau (“The Office”), later becoming Le Bureau-les-Bains, a name that would live on until 1911 when, at the initiative of the local tourism marketing agency, it was replaced by the more tourist-friendly moniker Saint-Palais-sur-Mer.
In 2007, the Royan Atlantique District Community (CARA) acquired the building and renovated it, transforming it into a centre dedicated to culture and the arts. Exhibitions have been held at the converted Maison des Douanes since 2017.
Nauzan Cliffs
Once cottage-style villas were built along Avenue Trez-la-Chasse in the 1890s, a wider variety of seaside buildings were created on the Nauzan Cliffs in the early 20th century.
Alongside the castle style of the villas Rêve and Océanide, with their pepperpot turrets, there are also many Regionalist villas. That style is characterized by the presence of colourful glazed bricks, villa names written on coats of arms, pronounced eaves and low slope roofs. The Regionalist style is typical of the work of architect Edouard d’Espelosin. The Four Gems – Emeraude (Emerald), Opale (Opal), Rubis (Ruby) and Saphir (Sapphire) – are a particularly intriguing set of these villas.
During the interwar period, the neo-Basque style made its appearance here, characterized by asymmetrical rooftops and painted timber framing. The most remarkable of these, with a view of Nauzan Cove, is Honey Moon, is the villa that belongs to the famous actress Danielle Darrieux.
Port
Saint-Palais-sur-Mer once had a small port upstream from the mouth of the Rhâ. In its current configuration, it is likely that this dry harbour stood at location of today’s Rue du Logis Vert, near Espace Le Spot cinema and concert hall. The harbour pilots of Gironde had set up their first pilot station there in the 16th century.
In 1727, the build-up of sand at the Port of Saint-Palais gradually drove the pilots to relocate, first to Royan and then to Saint-Georges-de-Didonne. Plans to renovate the port on its original location, which were prepared by Mr de Kearney in 1767, went nowhere. De Kearney also proposed to create a new port facing the Farming House (later the Customs Office), which likewise never came to fruition. The harbour pilots definitively abandoned the cove in 1772.
In 1931, a sea wall was created by private initiative, at the base of the western point of Bureau Cove, where a few boats could be accommodated. The dry harbour was only accessible at high tide.