A listed historical monument castle with vast outbuildings and 33-hectare grounds in the Centre-Val de Loire region - ref 926789
A listed historical monument castle with vast outbuildings and 33-hectare grounds in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
The edifice is situated in the south of the Centre-Val de Loire region, in the Indre area, 3 hours from Paris by car and 30 minutes from Châteauroux and its train station, from where services connect to Paris-Austerlitz in just over 2 hours. In a gently undulating region ideal for arable farming, the property lies on the outskirts of a village 6 km from Buzançais, a small market town, which provides all the amenities and services necessary for everyday life and has a weekly market, numerous food shops, various craft boutiques, several public and private schools, a cinema, and edifices which, alongside many traditional constructions dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, make it a pleasant place to visit.
In the 15th century, a companion in arms and adviser to Louis XI built a sumptuous keep close to the original fortified manor house. In the 16th century, his descendants had four wings added to the original structure, featuring the Italianate galleries that are the hallmark of the present-day castle. One of these galleries was removed during the French Revolution, opening up the view over the grounds, while another of these wings was completely transformed into a corps-de-logis in the 19th century. The three remaining wings are thus arranged around an open courtyard, flanked by three round towers and the imposing former square keep at the corners.
Standing near to the castle, the outbuildings form a long complex of 17th-century buildings. On three sides, they enclose a vast farmyard, in the centre of which stood the parish church until the 18th century, when it was moved to the village. The remains of a ditch and a drawbridge suggest that the complex was surrounded by a moat. The grounds extend beyond the complex, crossed by the river and featuring a 4-hectare lake with its landing stage and hut. The property's 35 hectares are entirely walled, with a turret seemingly standing guard at each corner.
Two high entrance gates open onto the village, one in front of the castle and the other opposite the outbuildings. A third gate provides access to a country lane running along the perimeter wall.
The castle - south wing This wing was built in the 19th century on the site of the original 12th-century manor house, which was also altered in the 16th century, probably to create galleries similar to the other three. Today, it comprises two flanking towers and a main section containing three levels, each with a floor area of roughly 225 m², overlooking the entrance courtyard on one side and the Renaissance courtyard on the other.
The ground floor used to house the service rooms and the reception rooms reserved for hunting parties. The floors are of uniform jointed stones in the larger rooms and chequered in the smaller ones. At either end, there is a staircase leading to the upper floors. The first level, accessed from either courtyard via approach stairs and a perron, comprises three reception rooms, a study and a library in the west tower. On the opposite side, the east tower contains a bedroom with an anteroom and a bathroom. On this level, the flooring is of straight strip and herringbone parquet or laid with chequered or quarry tiles. On the intermediate landing between the staircases, on the split level, there is a bathroom with toilet on one side and a lavatory on the other. The second floor houses a library, four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two studies or antechambers. Stairs lead up to the attic. The castle - east wing This wing links the south-east tower to the north-east tower. Each stone on the facade is adorned with carved, interlaced initials. There are two galleries, one above the other, ...
