• Autumn Winter
Boulevard Legris

Boulevard Legris

Sommaire

The Godelins district

Visit Place Heurtel, in the heart of Etables-sur-Mer, to discover the seaside resort.
Etables-sur-Mer really took off at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to Oscar Legris, an industrialist from Versailles who fell in love with the area.
In 1895, he met the Mayor, Mr Heurtel, to whom he submitted his project: to develop the Plage des Godelins, create a path to access it and a quay, and build a housing estate of villas close to the beach. Etables was to become a renowned seaside resort!

At the beginning of 1900, Etables had 18 villas developed by Oscar Legris, most of which were located on avenue Victoria, boulevard Legris and rue du Commandant Charcot.
Each house was rented out with a bathing cabin on the beach.

The Syndicat des Plages, the forerunner of the Office de Tourisme, was set up in 1909.
It helped to improve services, access and cleanliness, and was already publishing a tourist booklet with a list of villas for rent, as well as advertising.

At the end of the boulevard: the beach.
When you walk down to the Godelins beach on Boulevard Legris, you can't miss this large four-storey building.
This building used to be the Hotel Bellevue (a very appropriate name!) but it has had several lives. Occupied by German troops during the Second World War, it later housed a holiday camp.
It is now a residence with several private flats.

Did you know that?
In a 1960 article in Le Télégramme, Etables-sur-Mer was dubbed "the capital of holiday camps".
At the time, there were nearly fifteen holiday camps or centres, and children made up 10% of the summer population!

Just a few more metres and we're on the Godelins beach, with our feet in the sand. It's hard to resist its charm, with its typical little beach huts and diving board.

For those who are more curious, we invite you to go back up to the village via Avenue Victoria (this was the first name of Madame Legris).
Originally, the villas on the avenue were all named after women, in alphabetical order: Amélie, Béatrix, Charlotte, Denise, Elisabeth, Flore... Have fun spotting the villas that still have their first names, often above the front door!

If you'd like to take a look at the history of this district, take a look at the heritage fact sheet "Itinerary of a tourist in Etables in 1909". And for younger visitors, Gaëlle, our heritage adviser, offers a guided tour "Once upon a time in 1900" for groups all year round.

Etables-les-Grottes

Etables-sur-Mer was nicknamed "Etables-les-grottes" because of the caves between Plage du Moulin and Plage des Godelins.
But don't expect the caves of Lascaux! Instead, there are around forty deep, irregular caves, fifteen of which have names: la Chevelue, la Grotte des Anges, Notre-Dame de Lourdes, la Grotte du Four du Diable, etc. The caves are only accessible at low tide, when the tidal range is over 85.

A free heritage fact sheet is available from the Tourist Office to help you discover them.

Revoir les propositions
Did you know?

What kind of events were organised on Godelins beach?

Villa Le Caruhel

Perched on the cliffs of Etables-sur-mer, Villa Le Caruhel conceals an unsuspected treasure.
The original house was built in 1910 for Captain Ardillier, then bought in 1921 by Louis Fricotelle, a wealthy cigarette paper importer.
He added an extension and a rotunda entrance hall in the Art Deco style.
The work was entrusted to the Parisian architect Jean de La Morinerie, who reinforced its Italianate style with a flat roof and large cornices.

A collector of Japanese art, Louis Fricotelle was also a great lover of modern art and the decorative arts.
Mathurin Meheut designed decorations on the theme of flora and fauna, created in magnificent mosaics by Isidore Odorico.
Edgar Brandt and Raymond Subes were responsible for the wrought iron work, and Roger Reboussin, an animal painter, for the wall friezes.
Starfish, rays and crabs litter the floors and walls of this veritable work of art, the highlight of which is the mosaic terrace leading to a breathtaking panorama of the Bay of St Brieuc.

The facades and roofs of the house, the terrace and entrance hall, the ironwork and mosaic decorations and the Japanese garden with its waterfall are listed in the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments.

Villa Le Caruhel is privately owned and only opens its doors on the Heritage Days (book in advance with the Saint-Quay-Portrieux Tourist Office ).

Did you know?
You can admire mosaics by Odorico in Saint-Brieuc town centre and in the Saint-Yves chapel, also in Saint-Brieuc, renowned for its decoration by the Seiz Breur, a Breton movement that reappropriated the codes of Art Deco.

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