This property of the City of Saint-Hilaire-de-Ririez, on the Vendean cornice, offers a unique perspective on the iconic rock of Pilours.
Its gardens are accessible daily for free.
A little bit of history:
The area was initially military. It was an outpost for controlling access to the Estuary of Life. The 1832 Napoleonic cadastre mentions the great fort of Grosse Terre.
The land was transferred in 1833 but remained for agricultural use. The area was not urbanized until the early decades of the 20th century.
From 1921 to 1945, the property belonged to Roger Gonthier, architect of the Paris-Orléans company. He is the author of several works including the Limoges station, realized from 1925 to 1929. The latter was inscribed in the inventory of historical monuments in 1975 and labeled as a heritage of the twentieth century. From 1945, the villa belonged to Doctor Buet who gradually made it his main residence.
On September 21, 2009, the City of Saint-Hilaire-de-Ririez decided to purchase the Grosse Terre property from the Buet family.
The city’s objective is to continue its conservation of the site of the Vendée Corniche, in its entirety, while allowing, in the future, public access to one of the most beautiful viewpoints of the Vendée Coast. On July 23, 2012, the municipality inaugurated the coastal path that now bypasses the Villa Grosse Terre, in the continuity of the pedestrian paths of the Vendée corniche, from Sion to the Pelle-à-Porteau.
Grosse Terre Park has been fully open to the public since its inauguration on June 16, 2018. In the continuity of the coastal path, a stabilized path now allows a pleasant walk to the terrace of the villa and its oceanic panorama. The layout of the plants, the furniture installed as well as the villa itself, give a Mediterranean air to the site. The association Vert la Vie presents a botanical garden made up of plants found on the Vendée cornice.