L'ancienne Gendarmerie is an old Gendarmerie that closed in the 1970's when it was converted to a hotel and restaurant. We bought the house in 2020 , and after extensive renovations, opened as a Bed and Breakfast in 2023. When the Gendarmerie was in use it housed up to 5 Gendarmes and their families in 5 separate apartments. The house was built around 1870. As it was a municipal building, there are not many original features left but we do still have the original holding cells in the cellar! We have done our best to restore as many original features as possible, including the lovely walnut floor in the hallway and the original oak staircase.

My name is Tanja and I am your host. I am English but I also speak German and some French (I am learning more by the day!) I am very excited to welcome guests to my lovely old house with it's hectare of woodland garden. I am passionate about nature and wildlife and I encourage it as much as possible in the garden. Visitors to the garden include deer, hedgehogs, pine martens, squirrels, kingfishers, buzzards and bats. We normally get house martins nesting at the front of the house in the summer months. I want to make your stay here as pleasant as possible and I want you to feel at home. I hope you will enjoy your stay here as much as I enjoy living here.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Gorre is a small village in Haute-Vienne. The village has a general store, restaurant, bar / tabac, baker, butcher, bookstore and hairdresser. Occasional events such as the Christmas Market and Summer Music Festival are held outside L'anciennce Gendarmerie on the public car park. Free parking is normally available right outside the building, and in the case of events, we are able to provide on-site parking as well. Oradour-sur-Glane (the martyred village) is 25 minutes drive away. Chalus (the site where Richard the Lionheart died) is 15 minutes away. The small towns of Rochechourt and Saint Junien are 15 and 20 minutes away for extensive shopping and dining opportunities. The city of Limoges is 30 minutes away with it's beautiful cathedral. Fishing is possible (permit required) all around the area with several large lakes in the and the river Gorre which runs at the bottom of the garden (brown trout). There is a swimming lake with beach 8 km away at Cognac la Foret. The village is on the Compostelle Saint-Jaques route. There is extensive hiking in the area through beautiful natural forest with an abundance of lakes an rivers in the area. Several well known hiking trails pass through through the village. Cycling is also excellent in the area with well maintained, quiet roads and a variety of different terrain. We offer free secure bicycle storage on site.