Exterior view

The town hall in the heart of Angoulême was built on the site of the former castle of the counts of Angoulême. This castle was erected partly in the 13th century by the decision of Isabelle Taillefer and Hugues de Lusignan, Count of Angoulême. They built a polygon donjon protected by a curtain with towers. In the 15th century, the Valois dynasty enlarged the castle by building a round tower and a new main building. From the 17th century, the castle became dilapidated, then in the 19th century, it was transformed into a town hall by the architect Paul Abadie.

Abadie retained only the polygon donjon and the round tower (known as the Marguerite tower), the other parts of the building were built in an eclectic style, in keeping with the tastes of the 19th century and drawing from medieval, Renaissance and classical forms. The construction began in 1858 and was completed in 1868.