Pompadour
Location: Auvergne
Type of village: Club village
Year of opening: Spring 1972
Year of closing: September 2014
A little history: In the mid-1960s, the Limousin region wanted to open up to an original and intelligent form of tourism. For this occasion, SOMIVAL (Société de Mise en Valeur Auvergne Limousin) was created and was intended to enable the implementation of the development operations desired by the region. The horse was to be the common thread.
In 1967/68, a 60-hectare farm came up for sale in Beyssac. SOMIVAL acquired the land, but needed to find financing and a farmer who could promote and market it. You get the idea!
In terms of financing, it was found. This was set up with the help of the Rural Renewal Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the CNCA (Crédit Agricole).
There was the other part, not the least important. Remember the SOMIVAL mentioned a little earlier.
SOMIVAL is in contact with Club Méditerranée and SODETO (National Tourism Development Company), founded on March 3, 1967 under the leadership of Gilbert TRIGANO and which brought together various players from the world of finance.
SODETO, along with the Financière de Suez company and the La Henin company, created a real estate company.
I will return to SODETO (as well as SODACOTO) on another page, as they played a role in the Club's history during the late 60s and 70s.
The first stone of the village was laid in 1970. SOMIVAL was the project manager, SODETO became the owner at the end of the work. It rented the establishment to Club Méditerranée. And voilà!!
The old farm buildings have been preserved and restored to house staff accommodation, a horse infirmary, a forge, and a pony club with a stable, riding school, and arena.
Other large-scale construction work, led by the architect Noëlle Janet, assisted by her decorator, Christian Demonchy (they are responsible for Ouarzazate, Les Boucaniers, but also Otranto, Playa Blanca) is being carried out on the site to enable the entire hotel section to be put in place and also to design the equipment necessary to accommodate 160 horses.
A little further out, a second high-quality equestrian center was built to allow riders with a high level of experience to practice horse riding.
Tennis courts were also built in this area.
Inaugurated by Jacques Chirac, the village opened on June 17, 1972 and operates year-round. It can accommodate up to 400 GMs.
At the end of its history, the village covered 90 hectares. It had 19 clay tennis courts (a large part of the indoor courts had been created in 1983), an equestrian center, an Olympic riding school, a golf driving range, a 9-hole course, and a conference center.
For the GMs, Pompadour was a mecca for horse riding and tennis. Many training camps were held there. The village offered five-day weeks, weekend packages, and long stays. For many GOs, it was one of the schools of the show, like Vittel.
In 1999, the renovation of the aging village was put on the agenda. (Pompadour had become a 2 Trident).
The cost of the work amounted to 33 million francs, more than half of which was earmarked for accommodation.
Unfortunately, the death knell tolled in 2014. Club Med left the Noailles estate. Costly renovations and upgrading were one of the reasons, as was the village's unprofitability, it is said.
Village Chiefs
Bernadette CHARRIE opened the village in 1972. Village chiefs followed, becoming regulars at Pompadour. Among them, we should mention La Duchesse (Marcelle FAYT), Jean Pierre FRANQUIN, Gilbert HERON, Arlette GILLES, and Philippe CALVET, who led the village in its final years and then closed it.
Today
Bought by a Lebanese family from the Club, whose ambition was to create a horse city, "L'étoile de Pompadour". Opened in 2016, the establishment filed for bankruptcy in December 2019 and was placed in receivership.
Today, the club's buildings are abandoned. Sadness, waste.
To go further
Friends of Club Med Pompadour page on Facebook
More photos of Pompadour here
Videos
Club Med "Pompadour 1974.
Last sequence of the 16mm film "From one village to another"
Archive from the funds of Gérard Pigeon Decosterd transmitted upon his departure to Collierbar
Village Presentation
Postcard from Pompadour 2013-2014 with atmospheric images as souvenirs of the good times spent with Philippe Calvet and his GO! team.
Archive from the Gérard Pigeon Decosterd funds transmitted upon his departure to Collierbar.
Pompadour 1973
Archive from the funds of Gérard Pigeon Decosterd transmitted upon his departure to Collierbar
Archive from the funds of Gérard Pigeon Decosterd transmitted upon his departure to Collierbar
Archive from the funds of Gérard Pigeon Decosterd transmitted upon his departure to Collierbar
Hello,
Your site is excellent. It's nice to see these images of this club that I loved when I was 15, I was with my father, I played tennis and horse riding and archery. If ever I have a photo in the tennis room also with the people with whom we took the course and the teacher.
Kind regards
Stephanie