Parc d’Armorique, Brittany, France
Luxury French holiday villa rental
Lake View Villas - A Little history
Lake View Villas was built by a granite merchant, a Monsieur Pierre Loirat, who employed 200 people in Huelgoat in his granite stone quarries.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, he built Brest Naval Academy which was later captured by the Germans' and was where they built their massive U-boat pens. During the war the British tried to destroy them with the "Tall Boy" bombs. Ironically, it was at that time that Lake View Villas was taken over by German officers, during their occupation of Huelgoat. When the Germans left, the Loirats' returned to their Villa, and once again, his company rebuilt Brest Naval base and a good deal of the surrounding area. Brest Naval base and the U-boat pens are now the home of the French Navy and submarine fleet, including their nuclear aircraft carrier.
Madame Loirat worked for the Red Cross in the Villa towards the end of the war. You can see the old war chests upstairs where some of the toys are kept.
Brittany
The Roman legions left Britain in 410 AD in order to try to defend Rome from being overrun by the Huns and other barbarians. Britain was effectively defenceless and, as well as attacks in the north and west, the real invasions were of the Angles in the east (East Riding, Lincolnshire, East Anglia) and the Saxons in the south (the south Saxons in Sussex, the east Saxons in Essex, the west Saxons in Wessex etc). In time the Angles and Saxons would occupy what became Angle-land or England.
Many of the indigenous British were killed by the pagan invaders. This was what today is euphemistically called 'ethnic cleansing' on a huge scale. Those who
Lake View Villas was built by a granite merchant, a Monsieur Pierre Loirat, who employed 200 people in Huelgoat in his granite stone quarries.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, he built Brest Naval Academy which was later captured by the Germans' and was where they built their massive U-boat pens. During the war the British tried to destroy them with the "Tall Boy" bombs. Ironically, it was at that time that Lake View Villas was taken over by German officers, during their occupation of Huelgoat. When the Germans left, the Loirats' returned to their Villa, and once again, his company rebuilt Brest Naval base and a good deal of the surrounding area. Brest Naval base and the U-boat pens are now the home of the French Navy and submarine fleet, including their nuclear aircraft carrier.
Madame Loirat worked for the Red Cross in the Villa towards the end of the war. You can see the old war chests upstairs where some of the toys are kept.
Brittany
The Roman legions left Britain in 410 AD in order to try to defend Rome from being overrun by the Huns and other barbarians. Britain was effectively defenceless and, as well as attacks in the north and west, the real invasions were of the Angles in the east (East Riding, Lincolnshire, East Anglia) and the Saxons in the south (the south Saxons in Sussex, the east Saxons in Essex, the west Saxons in Wessex etc). In time the Angles and Saxons would occupy what became Angle-land or England.
Many of the indigenous British were killed by the pagan invaders. This was what today is euphemistically called 'ethnic cleansing' on a huge scale. Those who
could fled to Wales, Cornwall and the Lake District. Some of the rich British went to north-west Gaul which became Brittany, the land of the Britons.
One of the last places to hold out against the Angles was Elmet, part of the West Riding. That was not defeated until the beginning of the seventh century. Leodis or Leeds may have been the centre of Elmet. Very little is known about it.
In the ninth century it all happened again with the Viking invasions when eastern 'England' was occupied by the Danes. It was Alfred who really created a unified England after defeating the Danes.
The next invasion was the Normans in 1066. They were originally Vikings who had settled in Normandy.
Huelgoat
Huelgoat is derived from the Breton words, 'Huel' (High) and 'Koat' (wood or forest) i.e. 'The High Forest' or 'The Tall Wood'. Caesars legions camped here during their occupation some 2000 years ago, due to its high strategic position. This is known as Camp d'Arthus, and this is thought to be where the legend of King Arthur began. There was a lot of resistance to the Germans in this area by the Bretons, as you will see in the monuments to the many resistance fighters who lost their lives fighting in the woods, not to mention the tank battle between the Germans and Americans of the 6th Armoured Corps in the square by the church. There is a monument to these brave souls by the Maree's office.
One of the last places to hold out against the Angles was Elmet, part of the West Riding. That was not defeated until the beginning of the seventh century. Leodis or Leeds may have been the centre of Elmet. Very little is known about it.
In the ninth century it all happened again with the Viking invasions when eastern 'England' was occupied by the Danes. It was Alfred who really created a unified England after defeating the Danes.
The next invasion was the Normans in 1066. They were originally Vikings who had settled in Normandy.
Huelgoat
Huelgoat is derived from the Breton words, 'Huel' (High) and 'Koat' (wood or forest) i.e. 'The High Forest' or 'The Tall Wood'. Caesars legions camped here during their occupation some 2000 years ago, due to its high strategic position. This is known as Camp d'Arthus, and this is thought to be where the legend of King Arthur began. There was a lot of resistance to the Germans in this area by the Bretons, as you will see in the monuments to the many resistance fighters who lost their lives fighting in the woods, not to mention the tank battle between the Germans and Americans of the 6th Armoured Corps in the square by the church. There is a monument to these brave souls by the Maree's office.
You can see the Americans entering the town square in the region of Finistere, Huelgoat, Brittany, France, during the second world war.
Historic Villa
A little history of the villa and its builder Pierre Loirat. Brest Naval Base and Academy were built in granite from the quarries at Huelgoat, owned by Pierre Loirat in the early 1920’s.
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Piere Loirat.
The original owner of Lake View Villas.
