CastleGueret (23)

An 18th-century château, part of which is classified as a Historic Monument and almost 13 hectares of grounds near Guéret, in the Creuse department. As you leave the village in the direction of Aubusson, a gate with pilastered sides crowned by an entablature with a projecting cornice marks the main entrance to the property, which adjoins the former gatehouse, which has now been converted into a gite. A tree-lined driveway, bordered to the west by the village, leads to the south-facing main courtyard covered in grass. There are two symmetrical square wings on either side and the former outbuildings. At the far end of the courtyard, a central staircase leads to the terrace which the chateau sits atop. On the north side, a grassed esplanade surrounded by a shady driveway opens out onto the rest of the grounds, which consist of almost 13 hectares of lawns, meadows and copses. The surrounding wooded countryside can be seen from different perspectives. The ruins of a former orangery and an ice house are found below. A second access to the property, to the west on the side of the village and crossing the former outbuildings, was probably for the household staff and suppliers.