An impressive 15th-17th century listed castle, cradle of a prestigious French family,
set in 2.8 ha of grounds overlooking its village in the south-west of France
set in 2.8 ha of grounds overlooking its village in the south-west of France
Angoulême,
CHARENTE
poitou-charentes
16000
FR
Location
Between Bordeaux, Cognac and Périgueux, the undulating, wooded countryside is scattered with villages featuring outstanding Romanesque churches. The area abounds in many other distinctive sites: the picturesque village of Aubeterre-sur-Dronne with its so-called "monolith" underground church, the tallest in Europe, Alfred de Vigny's manor house, the world's largest 12th century fresco in Blanzac, the Château de La Mercerie also called "Versailles charentais", the fortress of Villebois Lavalette and many other spots the region can be proud of.
1h15 from Bordeaux and its international airport, 1h from Périgueux, 45 min from Angoulême and its TGV station with high-speed links connecting to Paris in 2 hours, the castle is also close to the Gironde river. It stands on a rocky spur, between two small rivers, from where it dominates the village.
Description
Perched high up, the buildings form a square open on the south side towards an esplanade supported by a 11th century wall slightly below, overlooking the village. The entrance is located in the north wing. A pedestrian entrance and a carriage gate lead through a "châtelet" (gate-tower), which has retained its drawbridge above a village lane. The U-shaped main building, topped with a Mansart-style slate roof, stands to the west, whilst the outbuildings are spread out to the east and form a right angle to the south, the section at the end having a slate pavilion roof similar to the entrance gate-tower. As you enter the courtyard, there is another outbuilding below to the left, facing north-south, which is hidden behind a row of trees. Not far from the entrance, on the right, the round opening of an underground cistern resembles a large well.
The castle and its square tower
With dressed stone walls over a metre thick and a square tower to the south, the main 16th century building is U-shaped with three levels, one of which is under the roof.
The 17th century facade on the courtyard side has five bays and a door in the centre. A gallery with twelve basket-arched openings on the ground floor has been added to the front of the original facade. The western facade, which overlooks the entire valley, features a large number of openings which have retained their decorative mouldings and mullioned windows. A corbelled turret containing a small spiral staircase stands in the angle formed by this facade and the large tower to the south. The three levels of the tower are lit by large windows. It is crowned by a crenellated parapet walk supported by machicolations. Each merlon has a hole for a culverin. This tower is topped with a slate pavilion roof.
On the courtyard side, the lower slope of the Mansart roof features wooden dormer windows. On each level, the rooms, which initially followed on from one another, are all connected by the gallery added at a later stage. They are vast and high with beamed ceilings, the long main beams are sometimes linked in a splice joint.
A considerable amount of work has been carried out in recent years, including the renovation of a large part of the roofs and the restoration of the upper parts of the keep, with the restoration of the machicolated parapet walk.
The ground floor
The main entrance leads into the gallery opposite the 16th century facade with its small mullioned windows and doors to each of the adjoining rooms. The front arcades can now be seen from inside. At the right end of the hall, the monumental staircase with its black and gold wrought iron floral scrollwork leads to the galleries and rooms on the two upper floors. At the left end of the hall, an arched passageway provides access to the south-western wing, while a narrower corridor extends southwards to further rooms and the chapel. The beamed ceiling heights exceed 4 m, the floors are terracotta, and it is not unusual to find footprints left by dogs in some of the tiles. Past a few small utility areas to the side of the staircase, spacious rooms for entertaining extend over 60-70 m². They feature marble fireplaces and tall windows letting the light of the setting sun pour in and offering a view over the valley. The Versailles parquet floors are oak, the wood panelling, such as that in the Salon aux Oiseaux (birds drawing room), is painted and some rooms, for instance the prince's bedroom, are enhanced by alcoves. The floor of the dining room is tiled with marble cabochons. A smaller room with an alcove is now used as a treasure chamber. In the south wing, a larger space with a stone fireplace and an opening onto the courtyard is followed by a small kitchen and a modest sitting room with a staircase leading to the upper floor. One of the fireplaces has a monumental wooden Baroque-style overmantel with imitation pilasters and other ancient geometric motifs with gilded brackets. To the south, there is a chapel built in the 17th century after the death of one of the sons of the house, who had been a page boy to the king. This chapel has terracotta tiles on the floor, a beamed ceiling and boasts a baroque, white and gold marble altar with elaborate woodwork.
The first floor
The rooms on this level are similar to those on the ground floor, just as large and high with beamed ceilings. Some areas remain to be refurbished. One of the bedrooms is adjoined by a private room with unique woodwork adorned with painted flowers and fruit. A vast room for entertaining covering almost 150 m² is enhanced by an open fireplace. On one side, high up, observation holes allowed the servants to keep an eye on the progress of the meal in order to serve quickly, if necessary.
The second floor
In the roofspace, this level includes various rooms and bedrooms awaiting refurbishment.
Outbuilding between the castle and the gate-tower
This part, almost entirely rebuilt around 1880, links the gate-tower to the main dwelling. With its monk-and-nun tiles, cross windows with white frames and beige rendered walls, the outbuilding follows the style of both the main building and the outbuildings to the east. On the ground floor, a large hall extending over more than 220 m² has thick walls and a fireplace. A professional kitchen has been installed behind the entrance. The upper floor comprises a lodging and large drawing rooms covering 220 m².
The gate-tower
A drawbridge with arrowheads provides access to the slate-roofed gate-tower and its carriage gate, which in turn leads to the courtyard. There used to be another bridge for the pedestrian door. Under the barrel-vaulted porch, a small chamfered door gives access to the spiral staircase leading to the two rooms on the first floor and the attic. A small room with a fireplace precedes the "guard’s bedroom" and its fireplace. This room is flanked by two square corbelled turrets on the north elevation with pyramid roofs, each with its moulded base and two quadrangular openings above small embrasures. A larger opening with a moulded projecting sill between the grooves of the drawbridge arrows illuminates the room. It is topped by a dormer window with a moulded frame, flanked by pilasters bearing a triangular pediment. On the courtyard side, the facade also has two windows, the taller one being crowned by a curved pediment.
Outbuilding to the east of the gate-tower
The building includes, on the ground floor, the laundry room with its two large stone basins, as well as the caretaker's lodge above with a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and a shower room.
Outbuildings to the east
The outbuildings of almost 600 m², which contain the stables, extend over the eastern part of the platform. The retaining wall, one of the very old parts with loopholes and embrasures, is topped by a curtain wall. It is flanked to the north by a watchtower, which also has embrasures at its base. The western facade has two levels of openings, with two arched doors and five chamfered bays on the ground floor.
Outbuilding to the south-east
On the south side, a square lodge with a slate roof is the counterpart to the entrance gate-tower. It was rebuilt on older foundations and a vaulted basement. It has two levels and comprises a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, a bedroom and a shower room. The building extends as far as the large stables to the east with a lower building including a shed and a stable in the south-east corner.
Outbuilding in the eastern courtyard
This low and long building, covering almost 200 m², follows a north-south axis and divides the main courtyard into two unequal spaces, the smaller one being situated down towards the stables. It comprises a dwelling as well as various sheds, including one for horse-drawn carriages.
Our opinion
A great building, a great family, a great history of France and even of Spain. These terms cannot suffice to encapsulate the place, even briefly, as this would not take into account the singular character and family atmosphere that reign in this castle. The current owner has restored and furnished the building as a museum, and it is possible to take over the furniture. The passion for power maintained for centuries by the members of the illustrious family has today given way to a more subtle and even more comprehensive passion: that of art, history and architecture, a driving passion that will bring great pleasure to the future occupant, as it did to the former.
Many projects are feasible, such as restaurants, boutiques, galleries, various professional rental projects, hospitality events such as receptions or weddings and why not the sheltering of foundations, all of which benefit from tax relief.
3 200 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 135930
| Land registry surface area | 2 ha 83 a 75 ca |
| Main building surface area | 2000 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 12 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 3000 m2 |
Aucune procédure en cours menée sur le fondement des articles 29-1 A et 29-1 de la loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965 et de l’article L.615-6 du CCH
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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.
