Château du Bousquet, Montpeyroux, France

Château du Bousquet was built in the 14th century. Today it hosts a museum of ancient art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The castle has very well-preserved sample of late medieval architecture (furnished interior, furniture, objects, paintings).

The castle, which belonged for four centuries to the Roquefeuil-Blanquefort family, comprises six towers (two hexagonal in the middle of the two front and rear facades, four rounds at each corner). The central tower of the south facade, which contains the staircase is pierced on the ground floor of a radiating Gothic door. The typically feudal and defensive character of the castle is somewhat mitigated by the existence of later windows on the three floors. The defensive system which surrounded it (enclosure, ditch, fortifications) disappeared, replaced by two wings in the 17th century. Inside, the ground floor has kept its kitchen intact, with the mesh stage where the musicians were based. The chapel retains a decoration painted by Debert in 1709.

User Reviews

daniel Debouche (2 years ago)
Le château est superbe mais pas le guide.

alain tyack (2 years ago)
Accueil chaleureux suivi d'une visite très intéressante guidée par un propriétaire sympathique.

Laura Blankenship (2 years ago)
A wonderful old castle in a charming small town. It was closed when we went and reopens in February but was lovely to walk around.

Patrick Mahier (2 years ago)
Très beau château, la route pour y aller vaut le détour

Anne Onyme (2 years ago)
Authentique ! Le château du Bousquet en impose que ce soit de l'extérieur ou de l'intérieur. Le guide/propriétaire des lieus est plein d'humour et très accueillant.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright levaletfrancois

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Château de Falaise

Château de Falaise is best known as a castle, where William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Robert of Normandy, was born in about 1028. William went on to conquer England and become king and possession of the castle descended through his heirs until the 13th century when it was captured by King Philip II of France. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840 it has been protected as a monument historique.

The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the 'large keep' (grand donjon). Later was added the 'small keep' (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. In 1202 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany was King John of England's nephew, was imprisoned in Falaise castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre.Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874. The castle suffered due to bombardment during the Second World War in the battle for the Falaise pocket in 1944, but the three keeps were unscathed.

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