Country France Department Dordogne Time zone CET (UTC+1) Local time Tuesday 7:31 PM Arrondissement Nontron | Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine Intercommunality Périgord vert Area 17.89 km² Population 530 (2008) | |
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Canton Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière Weather 17°C, Wind NW at 6 km/h, 53% Humidity | ||
Saint-Front-la-Rivière is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
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Map of 24300 Saint-Front-la-Rivi%C3%A8re, France
This pretty village has a twelfth-century church, a bar, school, hairdressers and a post office. It also has 4 châteaux, medieval to nineteenth century. There are also the ruins of the Du Barry family château, dating to the time of François I. The Du Barrys were implicated in a plot to overthrow the monarch during the Wars of Religion.
Chazelles, one of St Front's surrounding hamlets was a mint in Gallo-Roman times, before the village came into being.
La Varenne, another of St Front's hamlets, means 'game reserve'. Wild deer are often seen in the surrounding farmland.
Economy
In the 19th century St Front had a good reputation for the quality of its wine. There remain a few private but no commercial vineyards. An important contributor to the village's growth was the steam tram linking Saint Front to Périgueux, the administrative capital of the Dordogne, to Brantôme and the railway at Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière. Agriculture has always played an important role in the area. More recently, St Front was the manufacturing headquarters of an important picture frame manufacturer. The factory, which was the last big local employer, closed at the start of this century. There are several small businesses and artisans, including a forge and a luxury cattery, La Crème de la Crème, just for cats. One of the biggest contributions to the village economy is tourism, with gîtes in several of the hamlets welcoming visitors from all over the world.
Saint-Front-la-Rivière today
The village is currently enjoying a small housing boom with many new-builds. The new owners are a mixture of locals and incomers from the Périgord but also British and Dutch. Village social life is driven by the bar, "Relais de la Dronne", a few associations and the comité des fêtes. Each year there is a Loto day, Boules competition, a flea market with children's funfair, farmers' markets and a cycle race "Les Boucles de la Dronne". Guests in 2009 include veteran Tour de France champions and the race attracts many cycling pros.