Château de la Tranchade hires out its Grande Salle de la Chevalerie for seminars, Christmas parties, shows and weddings, for up to 450 guests, with a smaller Salle des Gardes for family and friends' gatherings. The estate stands at Garat, on the edge of Angoulême in the Charente, around a 14th-century keep listed as a historic monument.
Seminars and company events
The Grande Salle de la Chevalerie can be booked for company seminars, Christmas parties for staff and their children, cultural shows and less usual formats; the château cites a historical fencing event among past bookings. Its layout adapts to most types of event, and the owners prepare a quotation for each request, by email or after a meeting on site. A team can combine a working day in the hall with a walk around the keep and the moats, and stay over in the rooms and gîte on the estate.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the main use of the hall. It is equipped for weddings and receptions of 50 to 400 guests, and the grounds serve for the drinks reception. At nightfall the old stones and the courtyard are lit with torches, which suits an evening reception in a medieval setting.
Rooms and capacities
The Grande Salle de la Chevalerie was approved to receive the public in 2002. The estate gives 450 people as its maximum, and 50 to 400 for a wedding or reception. Tables and chairs are provided, as are service rooms for the caterer. The Salle des Gardes, of smaller capacity, is offered by the Association des Amis du Château for family or friends' gatherings.
Accommodation
A few meters from the great hall, the RougePeyre building holds four double guest rooms, each with its own bathroom and toilet, available all year with breakfast included. Two studios for two people, with kitchen and private entrance, are let by the week or the month. The gîte La maison de Roger-Pierre sleeps four to six in one double and two twin rooms, with a sunny terrace facing the château. Bed linen, towels and cleaning are included in each.
Catering
The château has no restaurant. Hosts bring their own caterer, who works from the service rooms next to the hall. Breakfast can be added for gîte guests on request.
History and setting
The site guarded Angoulême from the Gallo-Roman period and overlooks the Anguienne valley. In 1136 local lords gave the land to the abbey of Saint-Cybard, and Aymard de Pressac built the keep in 1396. The Nesmond family, owners from 1573, added the postern, the wine store and two wings with stone taken from the moats. The Normand de La Tranchade family held the château from 1667 to 1929, when Professor Louis Portes bought and restored it. After damage from the storm of December 1999, two years of works brought the great hall back into use.
Getting there
The estate lies a few kilometers from Angoulême, at Garat in the Charente. The tourist offices of Angoulême and of the Vallée de l'Échelle can help visitors plan their stay.
