No. 56978
Château de Fontariol
France
ChâteauIntact15th century
No. 50832
Château · France
Château des Écossais
ChâteauIntactOpen to visitors
No. 50832 · 46.451 N, 3.240 E
Quick summary
Château des Écossais is a château in France, listed as reference No. 50832.
Château des Écossais is a château in France with origins associated with the 15th century.
See all castles in FranceChâteau des Écossais stands in Bresnay, France, and was built by late medieval French feudal lords.
The fortified ensemble dates from the late 15th century, and the local medieval lord used the place name as his title, seigneur d’Escoussay. Elements from that period, including the defensive moats, a dovecote and a Gothic fireplace, remain on the site.
Ownership in the second half of the 1600s belonged to the Meaulne family. Louis Meaulne is recorded as a lawyer at Moulins in 1654, he held the titles lord of Écossais and of Champagnat, and in 1667 served as regional controller-general of the salt tax for Bourbonnais and Auvergne. After his death the seigneurial rights passed to Antoine Ferrand, a squire who acted as provincial commissioner of the artillery for France, and in 1686 François Burand succeeded to the estate.
Through marriage the property passed from the Burand family when Marie Françoise Burand brought the seigneury into the household of Michel Grangier de Boisdechamp, a former member of the royal bodyguard; he died in 1767 at the age of 76, and Marie Françoise died in 1772 at age 60. The building was officially listed as a protected historic monument by decree on 9 April 2001. Following a change in ownership around 2010, new works were undertaken including erection of a tower, formation of a water basin, and organised clearing and replanting of the grounds. The château remains private property and is not open to visitors.
Condition
The site presents a roughly rectangular fortified house whose core dates to the late 15th century. The principal façade is marked by an eight-sided tower, and rounded towers occupy the building’s corners, forming the defensive silhouette around the main block. The principal dwelling has a tall roof covered in flat tiles, a feature visible today and linked to the later roof covering.
A pair of large round towers protect the north flank of the main living block, while a faceted stair turret projects from the south-facing elevation and indicates the position of the internal stair. The courtyard is enclosed by the main house and surrounding service buildings, which together define an inner open space. Within that courtyard stands a medieval dovecote, preserved in situ and associated with the estate’s late medieval phase.
The site is ringed by dry defensive moats that survive from the medieval period and remain visible around the property. Inside the house a Gothic-style fireplace has been retained and documents the building’s medieval interior fittings. In the early 21st century alterations included construction of a new tower and the creation of a water basin, together with deliberate clearing and replanting around the château; these interventions stand alongside the older elements and are part of the present condition of the property.
Location
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