Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The hall of Angoulême was designed to accommodate the congestion of the open-air markets, including the one located in front of the town hall and the one at Place Bouillaud. As early as 1859, the project for a new covered market was mentioned, but its implementation was not authorised until 1886, including the drilling of a road from the town hall. The architect Edouard Varin set the direction, opting for a double-body structure of buildings arranged around a covered central street, with side entrances adapted to the slope of the ground.

The building stands out for its stone portal topped by a clock, an element on the opposite façade. The octagonal columns rest on a masonry base, while the facades combine diamond bricks in the lower part and a glass curtain in the upper part, partially modified in 1960 by translucent PVC plates. A zinc frieze with the town coat of arms crowns the china. The cellars, integrated into the basement, complement the functional layout of the market. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1993, the hall remains the property of the municipality.

The construction reflects the urban concerns of the late 19th century: hygiene, traffic and beautification of cities. The materials used (bottom, brick, glass) and decorative details (clocks, coat of arms) illustrate the alliance between public utility and architectural aesthetics, characteristic of the municipal equipment of the period.

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