Marquet Island Interpretive Trail

A Bit of History...

Marquet Island, Angoulême’s natural gem, also boasts a long history during which it has been known by several names.

The oldest name appears to have been Saint-Pierre Island.

Several other names followed, depending on the island’s owners, before it was finally named after Pierre Marquet, in memory of the maître d’hôtel who owned it from 1830 to 1856.

Marquet Island remained primarily an agricultural area for a long time. In the 19th century, industrial and commercial activities began to develop there. Around 1830, Pierre Marquet built a waterwheel to irrigate his meadow. That same wheel was later used as a motor to power a potato starch factory. The factory was subsequently converted into a sawmill, then a cardboard factory, and finally a plaster mill. Several buildings still stand today, including a tall chimney.

Finally, the wash houses and laundries remained in use until 1925 for the former and 1950 for the latter.

The island also bears traces of the Allied bombings during World War II, with a massive crater still visible today.

Dotted with various gardens and later revitalized by the Charente Nature association in the 1980s, the island became the property of the City.

Did you know?
In the mid-19th century, while the route of the railroad was being debated, there were plans to locate the Angoulême train station on Marquet Island. The proposal was rejected for reasons that are easy to imagine!

A Natural Oasis Worth Preserving

Spanning nearly 8 hectares, Marquet Island is home to remarkable flora and fauna. The woodlands of black alder and common ash are inhabited by wood-boring insects, notably the strange stag beetle and the surprising Alpine longhorn beetle. These woodlands are also home to a large number of birds, such as colorful woodpeckers.
The clearings contain flora typical of wet meadows: hemp agrimony, marsh mallow, and wild teasel, the famous “bird cabaret.” This array of flora attracts numerous butterflies and dragonflies. This biological richness can only be sustained through specific management implemented by the City of Angoulême’s Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with Charente Nature.

Excerpt from the booklet *Les sentiers d’interprétation du Grand-Angoulême*.