Finding history in FRANCE
On the south bank of the Loire estuary, on France’s Atlantic coast – the Jade Coast – lies the charming resort of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins.
In the Middle Ages, the little town was a community of fishermen and farmers, but during the 19th century, it became a fashionable destination for well-to-do people seeking out the health-giving properties of sea air and bathing.
Its miles of dunes were stabilised by the planting of a pine forest, giving it the latter part of its name. Curiously, it gets the saintly part of its title from the eighth-century Archbishop of Canterbury, St Bregwin, protector of a priory founded there at the time.
War and peace
A casino – they were popping up all over 19th-century Europe – was built in 1884 to entertain the visitors. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was still a playground for the rich; but when the American troops left their billets here at
