Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Clion artisanal and rural museum came into being in 1972, when volunteers began collecting ancient tools to exhibit them in the village's former presbytery, with the agreement of the municipality. In 1975, the Cultural Association Les Amis du Temps Past was officially created to manage this heritage. The collections from the Saintonge countryside reflect the artisanal, agricultural and wine-making occupations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Since 2001, the museum has been supported by the Charente-Maritime Departmental Council, the Haute Saintonge community of municipalities, and European funds (Leader programme). These aids enabled major improvements: accessibility for people with reduced mobility, renovation of facades and appentis, and reorganization of the seven thematic rooms (crafts, agriculture, forge, etc.). The 1,500 tools restored by the members of the association are displayed on 200 m2 interior and 600 m2 exterior.

The museum is part of a local tourism dynamic, thanks in particular to the label Villages de Pierres et d'Eau obtained by Clion in 2010. In 2019, it is identified as one of the eight must-see places in the Cognac region by New Aquitaine, integrating the wine tourism circuit The Cognac stages. Open for free from June to September, it also hosts cultural events (concerts, brocantes) in its park.

The collections cover a wide range of trades, from marketers to wine growers, including cartons and distillers. The objects, dated between 1850 and 1950, offer a concrete testimony of the missing or transformed know-how. The museum thus contributes to the preservation of the Saintonge's rural memory, while adapting to contemporary issues of mediation and accessibility.

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