En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château du Clavier, in Lagord (Charente-Maritime), was built in the early 18th century for Pierre Piaud, sieur du Clavier; in 1755 it belonged to Claude Beaupied du Mesnil, director of the corporeal domains, and the house was rebuilt — described as “newly built” — around 1786. Passing in 1824 to the navigator Abraham-Jean-Louis Giscard, then in 1855 to Antoine Hivert and his wife Amélie Pellevoisin, the estate remained in the Hivert and Godet families, linked to the cognac trade (Seignette, Pellevoisin), until it was sold by Jean Godet in 1923. The château, with a large slate-roofed main building, is enlivened on the park side by an unusual canted central projecting bay; a 19th-century metal-framed greenhouse bears witness to its owners' passion for horticulture. The ground floor comprised a vestibule, drawing room, dining room, library, study and kitchen, and the principal floor five bedrooms with a dressing room. Having served as a school for anti-aircraft defence non-commissioned officers, the estate now hosts the exhibitions of the Salon d'Arts Plastiques de La Rochelle. A private property awaiting rehabilitation, it is not open to visitors.