Shortly after launching this website I headed over to the Lac district of Bordeaux to get an idea of where the city would be building its new 43,000-seater arena, set to form the backdrop to the endeavours of footballers, rugby players and international music stars in the years to come.

At the time it took a great deal of imagination to picture a stadium rising above the trees but now, a little over a year ahead of delivery, the skyline has indeed changed beyond recognition.

For many locals, a day spent in downtown Bordeaux is synonymous with a shopping trip in the Rue Sainte-Catherine quarter, but if you peel away the uniform corporate logos there are some interesting stories to tell.

With this is mind, fellow blogger MystickTroy and I went in search of the department stores of yesteryear with the aim of understanding how strong the influence of the shops of the past continues to be. The account of our quest, which we have jointly published on our respective blogs, starts out at Galeries Lafayette…

Invisible Bordeaux was one of a number of contributors to a lengthy report about the city broadcast by national TV station TF1 during the lunchtime news programme on Sunday March 9th. 

In the feature, I demonstrate my thorough knowledge of Bordeaux's extensive history by referring to some medieval cobblestones and a wall as being "very old" (the kind of expert analysis which loyal readers have come to expect).

It was a bad hair day (I've since been to the hairdresser's), my name is misspelled in the caption, but all in all it was an interesting experience and such prime-time exposure is very much appreciated, so big thanks to TF1 and to journalist Erwan Braem for getting in touch!

• You can view the report by clicking here.

A mansion in Lormont, just off a narrow road which runs alongside the A10 motorway, forms the backdrop to what is undoubtedly one of the most unusual attractions in the Bordeaux area: le Musée National de l’Assurance Maladie.

The museum, which opened in 1989, is the only one of its kind in France. It provides an extensive historical overview of the country’s national healthcare system for three target audiences: schoolchildren and students, the general public, and staff of the CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) healthcare fund institution itself.

The spectacular château alone deserves a visit. Known as Les Lauriers, it was built in 1860 and initially belonged to a wealthy dynasty of shipowners, the Gradis family. The Gironde branch of CPAM acquired the property in 1948, converting it into a convalescent home from 1951 onwards. In later years, new facilities were built in the adjacent park, freeing up the mansion to be converted into a museum.

The museum aims to take the visitor on a journey through time. The visit starts out with the beginnings of “la protection sociale” and particularly the development of “sociétés de secours mutuels” in the 19th century, moving on to the first laws passed in the early 20th century, the introduction of the social security system from 1945 onwards, and the development of the system from 1967 up to the present day. This is illustrated by displays featuring hundreds of archive items and documents.

Highlights on the tour include a surprising mock-up of a social security centre as it looked in the 1950s and 1960s, complete with authentic props such as vintage typewriters, telephones, switchboards and rubber stamps. It is tempting to role-play the part of a member of the public meeting staff, filing paperwork and then shuffling over to the counter to obtain the much-desired financial compensation!

An entire room has been given over to the tools of the trade for CPAM employees down the years, from archaic calculators (including a couple of legendary Burroughs adding machines) and punch card technology to some monstrously large rudimentary computers and contemporary “Carte Vitale” electronic chip card readers.

Another room showcases typical CPAM initiatives such as poster campaigns and medical examination centres. The most impressive exhibit is a dentist’s chair which no doubt welcomed many a grimacing patient over the years.

Some of the museum’s more bizarre exhibits include ghostly mannequins sporting designer uniforms, symbolising a policy aimed at “humanising” the institution, making it more welcoming and appealing to the general public. Appropriately enough, the mannequins have been positioned at the entrance to the visit.

As well as a visitor booklet, a high-tech audio-guide is available free of charge at reception, to add a further dimension to the tour. The descriptive narration is coupled with authentic eye-witness testimonials by CPAM staff.

The museum does feel like a well-kept secret; it currently welcomes around 1,600 visitors annually. Its niche appeal is undeniable but there is definitely an audience out there. To reach prospective visitors, director Emmanuelle Saujeon-Roque is developing the museum’s presence on the internet, with an extensive website (featuring videos, a snazzy virtual visit and a host of interactive features) and a Facebook page. The added exposure should deservedly draw new visitors to this unique museum. 

> Find it on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Musée National de l'Assurance Maladie, Château des Lauriers, 10 route de Carbon-Blanc, Lormont 

> The museum is open to the general public from Monday to Friday, 2pm-6pm (5pm on Fridays). Admission is free of charge. 
> Museum website: www.musee-assurance-maladie.fr 
> And Facebook page.

If you follow Invisible Bordeaux on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you may already be aware of the fact that the blog was featured this week in local newspaper Direct Matin Bordeaux7.

The interview provides a thumbnail introduction to the story behind the website and its philosophy, as well as pointing readers towards other likeminded online resources! 

Big thanks to Direct Matin Bordeaux7 journalist Emeline Marceau for getting in touch and for producing the item! 

• You can read the full article online here or else in the PDF version of the newspaper. 

We find ourselves in a run-down part of a Leclerc shopping centre in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux. The building in question used to be one of the city’s railway stations: Gare Saint-Louis.

Invisible Bordeaux first encountered Gare Saint-Louis when researching the cycle path which runs all the way to Lacanau. The cycle path replaced a railway line which previously departed from Gare Saint-Louis. The station’s other destinations included Bordeaux Saint-Jean and the Médoc wine-growing area.

These are difficult times for independent bookstores, but one shop which continues to weather the storm is Bradley’s, the only English-language bookshop in Bordeaux and one of the city’s most respected literary outlets. On a suitably rainy Saturday morning, I met Anne-Françoise Mazeau, who owns and runs the business, and long-time attendant Juline Druillole to learn more about Bradley’s past, present and future.

Bradley’s was founded in 1983 by a couple of expatriate Australians, Pauline and Paul Carpenter. They moved into premises on Place Gambetta and, instead of simply calling it “Carpenter’s”, opted to give the brand new bookshop Pauline’s maiden name: Bradley. The Carpenters spent 20 years at the helm of the store until their retirement in 2003, when the business was taken over by Englishman Terry Vincent.

My Invisible Paris and Invisible Lyon counterparts and I regularly look to old postcards as a source of inspiration for subjects which end up being featured on our blogs. Therefore, without really trying, I appear to be slowly amassing a bona fide collection of interesting pictures of Bordeaux as it used to be.

The following all show various views of the waterfront, demonstrating how much it changed throughout the 20th century, and how much it has evolved in recent years with the city “reclaiming” the quayside for pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers, and installing the popular “Miroir d’Eau” attraction.

A name that seems etched into the collective consciousness of La-Teste-de-Buch, on the southern ridge of the Bassin d’Arcachon, is that of Dr Jean Hameau, whose research paved the way for the scientific achievements of Louis Pasteur.

Hameau was born in La Teste itself on October 5th 1779 in a small house located on what is now Rue du 14 Juillet. His father, André, was a local tailor who had married Jeanne Labouroir from Dax, further south in the Landes area. Aged just 16, Hameau began his medical studies under the guidance of one Dr Desquives in Ychoux, a few kilometres to the east of Biscarrosse. Two years later, in 1797, he departed for Paris, pursuing his studies at École de Santé de Paris where he spent four years and contributed to an initiative known as the “Centre de la Vaccine”.

Dotted along the banks of the Gironde Estuary are countless wooden fishing huts which have been built on stilts. Their main implement is a square-shaped pulley-operated net (or “filet carré”) which has given the humble shacks their name: “carrelets”.

The recurring characteristics of carrelets are that they are sometimes elaborate and often colourful structures which can be reached via invariably precarious walkways. They may appear somewhat flimsy but each carrelet has to meet stringent norms and construction projects are closely monitored by local authorities. From a legal/real estate point of view, carrelets may be the private property of their owners, but the latter are solely registered as “occupant temporaires” of their waterside plot, subject to an authorisation administered by the relevant body (“Bordeaux Port Atlantique” for much of the Gironde Estuary).

The city and people of modern-day Bordeaux owe much to the man celebrated by this monument which can be found in the heart of the leafy Parc Bordelais: Camille Godard. 

Sadly, very little is known about the man himself. After literally minutes spent on the internet and flicking through books I was only able to establish the following: Jean Baptiste Camille Godard was born in Cognac in May 1823 and died in Nice 58 years later in December 1881. His occupation was that of a “négociant”, a trader in wine and other produce, a position which is perpetually held in high esteem in Bordeaux. Négociants invariably carve out a status in the city’s high society and, above all, regularly become extremely wealthy.

This was Godard’s case: with the fortune he had amassed, in 1855 he acquired the renowned Château Kirwan wine-growing estate in Cantenac, near Margaux. As well as overseeing the production of the château’s wine (which had just been ranked as a “Grand Cru”), Godard also designed its gardens – he was a keen amateur gardener and botanist. When Godard died in 1882, it also transpired that he was to be a posthumous philanthropist. 

Château Kirwan and its magnificent Camille Godard-designed grounds (and vines).

For, two years previously, on September 24th 1880 from the comfort of his office at Kirwan, Camille Godard had written the following lines: “Les revenus obtenus par le placement du capital de mon legs seront assez considérables pour faire et entreprendre des choses utiles que ne permet pas toujours de faire le budget de la ville. […] J'entends par ces mots, la création de squares, les embellissements des promenades, les ouvertures de grandes voies, les constructions d'écoles, les créations de cours publics, de bibliothèques, de prix. Pour commencer, je désire que la ville crée une école de jardiniers.”

In short, Godard was officially committed to bequeathing his fortune to the city of Bordeaux and stated that investments would yield enough funds to enable the city to do things which were beyond its regular means. His request was that the money be used to build squares, embellish walkways, lay down roads, build schools, and initiate lessons, libraries and awards. His first wish was for the city to create a gardening school. Along with his money, Bordeaux inherited Château Kirwan itself. Management duties were handed over to the wine traders Schröder & Schÿler, until 1926 by which time partner Armand Schÿler bought the château outright. His family still owns the domain.

The first venture facilitated by Godard’s funds was the purchase and landscaping of the Parc Bordelais. The area had previously been earmarked as the venue for a Paris-style “jardin d’acclimatation” but the project, led by a group of stakeholders from Caudéran (an independent town at the time) fell through. On July 15th 1882, Caudéran sold the plot to the city of Bordeaux on the condition that it would become a “lieu de promenade”, i.e. a nice place for a pleasant stroll. The park was officially inaugurated by the French president Sadi Carnot in 1888.

A year later, the city of Bordeaux erected the aforementioned monument to its benefactor. The statue which can be seen today is the original marble sculpture (revealing a little further information about Godard: he was bald and sported a substantial bushy moustache). At the outset, a plaster copy had been installed but this was stolen in 1904. The decorative pedestal features the city’s coat of arms and three-crescent emblem as well as the words “la ville de Bordeaux reconnaissante” as a mark of the city’s appreciation for Godard’s generosity.

The Camille Godard monument in Parc Bordelais.

Godard’s request for a horticultural legacy began to take shape in 1890 when the funds were used by the University Faculty of Medecine to purchase part of the grounds of Château Peixotto in Talence. The resulting horticultural facilities, registered as botanic gardens which continue to be operated by Bordeaux University, comprise a two-storey orangerie, greenhouses and a laboratory.

"Le jardin botanique universitaire de Talence", in the grounds of Château Peixotto, visible in the bottom-left photo.

Later, in 1953, the city elected to use Godard funds to create his much-desired “école municipale d’horticulture”. After 13 years at one Château Carreire (located near Rue de Bethmann, the château was demolished in 1969 to make way for University Faculty of Medecine buildings), the establishment set up shop at Domaine Bel Air, a château in Le Haillan. The mansion had been built on the reported site of a battle during the Hundred Years’ War and had often changed hands up until the 19th century before being occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. Post-War the property was in poor shape until the city of Bordeaux purchased it and its surrounding lands in 1963. The horticultural college operated here until 1986 when the château became the headquarters and state-of-the-art training centre of local top-flight football team Girondins de Bordeaux. 

Now best-known as Château du Haillan, the mansion is surrounded by training grounds and facilities.

The college, its greenhouses and its associated municipal teams of gardeners and landscape artists subsequently moved to grounds adjacent to the château and its football pitches. And that is where the facility continues to operate under the name of “Lycée Horticole Camille Godard”.

The entrance to the modern-day Camille Godard "lycée horticole" in Le Haillan.

Meanwhile, perhaps the best-known of the by-products of Godard’s wealth is, quite simply, the Monument aux Girondins, erected on the Esplanade des Quinconces in central Bordeaux between 1894 and 1902. The monument pays homage to the Girondins political group who were overpowered and executed by their rivals the Jacobins in the slipstream of the French Revolution. Its centrepiece is a 43-metre column which is topped off by a winged lady made out of bronze symbolising freedom (hence the broken chain in her right hand).

Signs of the city’s appreciation for Camille Godard’s generosity now stretch beyond the Parc Bordelais monument and include both a street and a combined bus-stop/tram-stop. So spare a thought for the wealthy benefactor the next time you’re on a number 15 or 72 bus, or on a Line C tram!

> Locate them on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Find them: Château Kirwan, Cantenac; Parc Bordelais, Bordeaux; Château du Haillan, Lycée Horticole Camille Godard, Le Haillan; Monument aux Girondins, Rue Camille Godard, Camille Godard bus and tram stops, Bordeaux. 
> Thanks to Lesley Graham for clarifying some of the sketchier details about Château Carrière.

This waterfront orthopedic clinic in Arcachon, which specialised in the treatment of osseous tuberculosis, was allegedly the scene of a series of paranormal events throughout a four-month period in 1963. After all these years, no definite explanation has enabled the case to be fully closed.

The most complete account of the mysterious goings-on were filed by the owner of the clinic, known to some as “La Clinique des Allongés”, the respected physician Dr Cuénot (member of France’s Académie de Médecine and the son of renowned biologist and genetician Lucien Cuénot). His writings were published by the Revue Métapsychique in June 1966.

In this, the first-ever guest post on the blog, Bordeaux-based translator and authority on all things beer-related, Chris Tighe, casts his well-informed eyes upon the history of La Grande Brasserie de l’Atlantique, a Bordeaux institution which was located on Quai de Brienne for many years. Over to you, Chris!

It was the turn of the 19th century when a gentleman from the Strasbourg-based Fischer family decided to open a Bordeaux branch of his Alsace brewery. His aim was to cut down on transportation costs to the Sud Ouest as well as to export to overseas French territories from this new outlet for Fischer beers. He chose a peaceful open spot by the river which had decent road, rail and boat access for supplying the city and beyond. So in February 1806 was born the Grande Brasserie de l'Atlantique which successfully operated from 1-6 Quai de Brienne for 173 years until its final closure in 1979; the site is currently occupied by the Point P and M.I.N. (Marché d'Intérêt National).

The good people of Bordeaux webradio station tooBordo have released their first “carte postale audio” of 2014, which features… Invisible Bordeaux!

During the French-language interview (cunningly edited to sound like a monologue), I talk about how the website started out, its philosophy, some of the subjects that have been covered, the people I’ve met along the way and the various offshoots of the blog. The talk is illustrated by a selection of photos from the website… will you be able to link each picture with its associated subject?

I hope you’ll enjoy listening to (and viewing) the feature which you can view here or directly on the tooBordo website. Big big thanks to Laurent Spadotto and tooBordo for making it happen!

  Click here if video does not display properly on your device.

• Do visit tooBordo where there are dozens of (other!) great audio documents to check out: www.toobordo.net

Once again, all the subjects covered by the website over the past twelve months have been a delight to compile and research. But here are five subjects which proved particularly interesting when peeling the layers away. Click on the titles or associated pictures to read the items!

 

The end of 2013 will soon be upon us and the time is therefore right to finish off the calendar year with a couple of items that look back on some of the features that ran on Invisible Bordeaux over the past twelve months. This first set compiles the five most-read articles. Feel free to click on the titles or associated pictures to read the items!

It was Adam over at Invisible Paris who first spotted this 1895 advertisement for a unique range of dental hygiene products: “Dentifrices des RR. PP. Bénédictins de l’Abbaye de Soulac (Gironde)”. As the distributors, Seguin, were based in Bordeaux, it seemed like a potential subject for this website, but piecing the full story together proved to be a difficult case of working out where the facts end and the work of 19th-century marketing types begins!

The undisputed facts are that these tooth care products, which included mouth wash (or, to put it more eloquently, “elixir”), powders and paste, were produced and marketed from the late 19th-century onwards by Seguin, a company founded in 1807 and which specialised in products that were sold in chemists and parfumeries. Seguin was initially based at number 3 Rue Huguerie, near Place Tourny, and later relocated to number 47 Rue Ulysse Gayon, near Barrière Saint-Médard.

In spite of the fact that there are still no Starbucks coffee shops in Bordeaux (although this will change in early 2014), in recent years much of the city has inevitably become a standardised succession of the brand names that are ever-present on high streets throughout France and around the world.  

But in amongst the Apples and Oranges, Fnacs, Etams, Body Shops and Subways, a number of timelessly independent outlets continue to hold out against the onslaught! Scroll on down as we view a handful of examples of the kinds of elegant and charming shop fronts that can still be seen throughout the city. Let’s enjoy them while we can!

Our first stop is stamp collectors' haunt Art et Philatélie, on the corner of Rue de la Porte-Dijeaux and Place Puy-Paulin.

 

The shop has been here for more than 150 years and, as well as dealing in stamps, boasts a fine stock of coins, old written correspondence, postcards, phone cards and champagne "muselets", the little metal caps that are clamped onto the top of champagne corks. Further information on the shop's website: www.art-philatelie.fr [Find it]

**

The vintage shop front of the Laffargue haberdashery can be seen on Rue des Remparts. According to informed opinion on various online forums, the shop is a popular draw for sewing and knitting enthusiasts of all generations. From what I can make out Laffargue stock rolls of material and reels of cotton and wool of just about every colour, shape, thickness and design, a wide range of zips and buttons, and enough patterns, thimbles and needles to make you want to take up knitting the minute you step inside the shop. Enter therefore at your peril!... [Find it]

**

The Verdeun toy and scale model shop recently featured in the Invisible Bordeaux item about the Galerie Bordelaise. It is arguably the most timeless of the thirteen trade units in the arcade and features both an arcade-side entrance and this quaint roadside shop front with its host of miniature trains, planes and automobiles. The shop was founded in 1948 by Maurice Verdeun, a successful track cyclist who won a world championship title in 1950! His sons Bruno and Frédéric now run the shop. [Find it]

**

OK, OK, as authentic and old-school as this one looks, Le Comptoir Bordelais is in fact a fairly recent addition to the shopping landscape in Bordeaux and is therefore very much the odd one out in this selection. The Rue des Piliers de Tutelle shop was founded by one Pierre Baudry less than five years ago and is Baudry's second such venture (his first shop was the similarly-themed Le Comptoir Arcachonnais in Arcachon). Both épiceries sell quality foodstuffs from the area and beyond. Products include wine, apéritifs, charcuterie and miscellaneous sweet and savoury delicacies. [Find it]

**

À l'Art Nouveau is a small independent printers on Rue Bouffard. They specialise in signage, name plates, rubber stamps, letterheads, engraving (such as on medals and trophies) and "faire-part" cards (wedding invites, birth and indeed death announcements, etc.). I think I'll go there the next time I need to get some keys cut, if only to see what it looks (and smells) like on the inside! Website: www.imprimerie-gravure-bordeaux.fr [Find it]

**

Unbelievably, Au Carnaval has been supplying festive outfits and accessories to the good people of Bordeaux since the 1930s! Behind its colourful mosaic façade items for sale include all sorts of novelty wigs, masks, face paint and enough streamers, sparklers and fireworks to make any party go off with a bang. Pranksters can also purchase essential equipment for their practical jokes. The store also organises face-painting and balloon art and sculpting workshops. It all feels a million miles away from the genteel and cultured environment of the Musée d'Aquitaine, which just happens to be next door... [Find it]

**

For obvious reasons, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a traditional French charcuterie, supplying miscellaneous deli meats to the masses on Rue Camille Sauvageau. But all that remains of the 1930s-built charcuterie is the name and the intricate mosaic façade. The place is in fact a record shop that stocks thousands of vinyl singles and albums (and displays some fine vintage record players in its window). Regarded by some as the "caverne d'Ali Baba du disque", La Charcuterie was converted into a record shop by owner Luc Magnan in 2006. The full story can be found on the Saint Mich' blog here: www.saintmich.fr/?p=1542 [Find it]

**

This is number 5, Boulevard Antoine Gautier, not far from Chartreuse Cemetery. It goes by the name of "Verseau Couture" and is in fact the workshop of Marie-Christine ("Cris") Dartigalongue, an "artisan d'art" who excels in knitting, sewing and sculpture. The colourful wood panels partly obscure some of her creations which do indeed seem very woolly. There also appears to be a cardboard cut-out of a power drill in amongst the clothes and pictures. Art, eh? [Find it]