For those who prefer their stately homes to be more stately, then the Château de la Gataudière still has something to offer. It has a sculpted stone hall, Louis XIII and Louis XIV furniture, a naval museum, hunting trophy exhibition and a horse-drawn carriage.
The history of the château is also fascinating. It was built in 1749 to the design of François Fresneau de la Gataudière, who inherited the property from his mother. François Fresneau de la Gataudière was a respected engineer and scientist who spent time in what is now French Guiana. He is credited with having written the first scientific paper on rubber, having come across a rubber tree in 1747. As a result François Fresneau de la Gataudière is sometimes referred to as the ‘father of rubber’. The château has, unusually, stayed in the same family ever since it was built. Through the marriage of de la Gataudière’s daughter it passed to Francois Chasseloup Laubat. The current owner is Prince Stanislas Murat de Chasseloup-Laubat.
https://www.the-french-atlantic-coast.com

Château de la Gataudière

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Commenced in 1180 by Guillaume de Lusignan, at a time when construction of fortified castles in stone was just beginning, this castle constitutes a remarkable example of medieval civil architecture. Located on the eastern shore of the gulf of Saintonge, it contributed to defense of the salt marshes. As for its owners, who belonged to the Lusignan and then the Saint Gelais de Lusignan families, from the Middle Ages through the Fronde (1648-1653) they benefited from the protection of the feminine spirit named Melusine and were wont to draw attention to their symbolically colorful characteristics.
https://www.oleron-island.com

Château de Saint-Jean-Angle

Fort Boyard is a fort located between the Île-d'Aix and the Île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche straits, on the west coast of France and is the filming location for the TV gameshow of the same name. Though a fort on Boyard bank was suggested as early as the 17th century, it was not until the 1800s under Napoleon Bonaparte that work began. Building started in 1801 and was completed in 1857. In 1967, the final scene of the French film Les aventuriers was filmed at the remains of the fort.
Layout
Fort Boyard is oval-shaped, 68 metres (223 ft) long and 31 m (102 ft) wide. The walls were built 20 m (66 ft) high. At the centre is a yard, and the ground floor provided stores and quarters for the men and officers. The floor above contained casemates for the emplacements of guns and further quarters. Above that were facilities for barbette guns and mortars.
History
The construction of the fort was first considered during a build-up of the French armed forces undertaken by Louis XIV between 1661 and 1667. Fort Boyard was to form a line of fortification with Fort Enet and Fort de la Rade on Île-d'Aix to protect the arsenal of Rochefort from Royal Navy incursions. Due to the limited range of artillery in the 17th century, the fields of fire between the fortifications on the islands of Aix and Oléron did not overlap. A fort on Boyard bank, roughly midway between the two, would have filled that gap. In 1692 the French engineer Descombs began planning the programme of building the fort; however, once it became clear how expensive it would be the scheme was abandoned. Vauban, Louis XIV's leading military engineer, famously advised against it, saying "Your Majesty, it would be easier to seize the moon with your teeth than to attempt such an undertaking in such a place".
After a British raid on Île-d'Aix in 1757, plans for a fort on Boyard bank were once again considered. Though plans were drawn up, the logistical problems again ensured it was abandoned. Efforts were renewed under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800, and the following year engineers Ferregeau and Armand Samuel de Marescot, and Vice-Admiral François Étienne de Rosily-Mesros designed a fort to be built on the bank. To facilitate the work, a port was established on île d'Oléron. The village of Boyardville was built for the workers. The first stage of construction was to establish a plateau, some 100 by 50 m (330 by 160 ft), to act as foundations. To this end, stones were piled up on the bank.
The project was suspended in 1809. Construction resumed in 1837, under Louis-Philippe, following renewed tensions with the United Kingdom. The fortifications were completed in 1857, with sufficient room for a garrison of 250 men. However, by the time of its completion, the range of cannons had significantly increased, making the fort unnecessary for national defence.
After 1871, Fort Boyard was briefly used as a military prison, before being abandoned in 1913. As time went by, the fort slowly crumbled and deteriorated into the sea as it was left unmaintained. In 1950 it was made a listed building, and in 1961 was sold to Charente Maritime Regional Council.
It has been the filming location of both the French and international versions of the TV gameshow of the same name since 1990, and was also the location for filming The Last Adventure, starring Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Joanna Shimkus.