Castles / chateaux
A 47 acre property with an 18th century castle in the French department of Nièvre
Location
This isolated property, set in the Nièvre plains is accessed via narrow, secondary roads going towards Nevers.
19 miles from the Clamecy aerodrome, 32 miles from Nevers and Château-Chinon and approx. 163 miles from Paris.
Description
It was originally just a 14th century stronghold house, fiefdom of a small Seigneury, vassal of the Earldom of Château-Chinon. In the 14th century, the Seigneury was given to a family whose roots go back as far as 1146 and who possessed it until 1644-1648.
Dating from this era are the gun-loops in the round towers and the watch turrets with their moulded bases, set on more recent squinches.
In the 16th century, probably around 1560-1570, the seigneur of the property had the buildings modified. His coat-of-arms and that of his wife can still be seen on the tower and the fireplace in the kitchen of the main house. This seigneur was to provide the Renaissance-style features that still exist today such as the sculpted bucrania frescoes and monumental fireplaces. Said fireplaces were filled in to make smaller hearths in the 18th century, a time when the castle’s structure underwent the most transformation.
The castle currently comprises a rectangular building, flanked by round towers at the ends with a rectangular tower containing a stairway in front of the south facade. Two gothic-style watch towers complete the property. The stairway tower has a semi-circular doorway with bossed quoins. The bossed splayed pilasters that flank it support a moulded entablature topped by a hammered-off pediment. The facade still bears the trace of an ionic pilaster with volute which would have ordered the façade at this time.
In the 17th century, the property belonged to a family, one of the members of which, a notorious Calvinist, was chamberlain to Henry IV. The estate was confiscated during the French Revolution and sold as property of the State in 1793. It has approx. 4,844 sq ft of living space.
The outbuildings
These comprise two barns, a garage and a workshop with Burgundian roof tiles and a farming building comprising six stables and a dovecote. A major central part of the traditional farmhouse has collapsed.
Our opinion
A castle typical of the Nièvre region with its rectangular stairway tower in an extremely dilapidated state. The rooms have not been lived in for a very long time. They do, however, have some outstanding features such as the bucrania frescoes, and the Renaissance-style monumental fireplaces. Each of these fireplaces is individually decorated. Some of the rooms are wonderfully spacious with ceilings up to 15.4 ft high.
This stronghold house set in 47 acres of parklands would be of interest to private individuals or investors for personal rather than professional purposes. Tax benefit advantages are to be had via the numerous works to be carried out which could be assisted by a future classification as a French Historic Monument.
Price: 490 000 €
Our fees are included in the stated sale price.
Reference 2007CB
| Land registry surface area | 19ha 04a 09ca / 47.050 acres |
| Main building surface area | 444 m² / 4,777 sqft |
| Outbuilding surface area | 300 m² / 3,228 sqft |
Regional representative
Céline Berrette +33 (0)6 98 65 18 07
NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
