Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Logis de Chênard, located in Chavenat in the commune of Boisné-La Tude (Charente), has its origins in the seventeenth century. The first house, built around 1630 by the Mesmol family, was set on fire during the Revolution, saving only dovecotes and commons. At the beginning of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Tabuteau acquired the estate and rebuilt the current home, marking the beginning of his modern history.

Originally dedicated to viticulture, the estate suffered from the phylloxera crisis in 1865 and was abandoned. Between 1924 and 1930, René Tabuteau, descendant of Jean-Baptiste, radically transformed the park in collaboration with Eugène Bureau, landscape architect and garden chief of Angoulême. The latter designs various gardens (pink garden, vegetable garden, English park) and uses innovative techniques, such as a Decauville railway to transport the land.

The house, of sober style with two levels and a symmetrical facade, is surrounded by typical outbuildings (pigeons, common). The gardens, structured around winding lanes and geometric beds, are considered one of the most beautiful landscaped ensembles in Charente. In 1992, the complex (logis, gardens, courtyard) was included in the inventory of historical monuments, recognizing its heritage value.

Today, the estate remains owned by the Tabuteau family. The gardens, open to the public from June to September, have been maintained since 1997 by a dedicated gardener. Their composition combines classical heritage (regular garden) and picturesque influences (English park), illustrating the evolution of landscape tastes between the 19th and 20th centuries.

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