In Central France, In The Bourbonnais Bocage, A Listed 14th And 17th Century Farmhouse Château

In central France, in the Bourbonnais bocage, A listed 14th- and 17th-century farmhouse château with a riding arena, lake, and meadows, on 28 ha. The farmhouse château, a listed building (Monument Historique), is laid out around a large square courtyard bordered by four ranges of buildings. Two wings of service buildings extend the south side and form an open forecourt, reached over a bridge spanning a moat.

A square porch pavilion of exposed rubble stone pointed in lime, with a carriage entrance and a wooden pedestrian door, marks the access to the property. The imperial roof has slopes covered alternately in fishscale tiles and flat tiles, with a slate bell-turret above. This entrance evokes the history of the site. Through the pavilion, a keep of exposed rubble stone under Bourbonnais flat tiles comes into view along its axis.

The wings of the house repeat the same architectural style, with towers and wooden galleries, open or closed. Stone dormers in the roofs and Burgundy stone surrounds to the doors and openings add to the overall architectural coherence. The house has turrets and bartizans, and a large round tower at its south end houses the chapel. A small bell-turret and a cross top the tower’s roof.

Around the main house, several outbuildings remain from the former agricultural use of the site: a mill, a sheep shed, a henhouse, a barn, and a kennel. Some of these buildings are now used as a stable and a garage. There is also a riding arena. The courtyard and the areas around the buildings are landscaped with gravel drives, low dry-stone walls, and lawns with potted olive trees and shrubs.
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: https://www.georisques.gouv.fr/