Another brutally good location photographed during the June 2023 tour of France & Belgium with Becci. Barely visible from the road due to it being hidden amongst overgrown gardens and a small wood which took some effort to clamber through to reach the welcoming open window.

Inside a mixture of decay and ancient artefacts still in place in the many rooms over three floors. The Château  has obviously not been lived in for quite some time judging by the decay and vintage items all around. There was a vintage feel about the entire place with little in the way of modern artefacts so to speak of. On the top floor,  a row of wall shelves were littered with military exercise books from the 1800s into the 1900s as well as books on military and magazines lying around the floors hinting at a connection with the army of some sort. 

We spent a good couple of hours in here, out of the burning sun and trying to avoid the swarms of flies in each room. Another fantastic location seemingly forgotten and locked in another time. 

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* In July 2024 a campaign to raise money by the new owners to restore this magnificent building appeared on social media. I have pasted the text from this campaign page which does have some history and details of the campaign and the plans along with a link to the page. 

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Abandoned for 20 years and turned into an urbex site, the castle is in poor condition as well as the moats and the park. Window lintels have fallen, the facades are badly damaged and the outbuildings are no better. Passionate about heritage, the new owners acquired the castle in the fall of 2023.

The project consists of a first phase of emergency work on the facades and joinery of the castle and outbuildings as well as roofing work on the north gable.

Thanks to your donations, this somewhat forgotten heritage will regain some of its past splendor and can be passed on to future generations.

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The oldest title which mentions this lordship dates back to 1233 but contains little information on the old castle.

Today, there remain water-filled moats enclosing a dovecote in a round tower from the end of the 14th century and a large residence perhaps coming from the old castle. The latter was probably remodeled in 1791 as evidenced by a cornerstone of the base on which is engraved: "I was laid on March 11, 1791 by Sir Pierre Gabriel d'Hédouville, honorary knight of Malta, and Lady Charlotte Larcher". The castle must however have had a certain importance, it has indeed remained in the memories of the locality that it was defended by four large towers placed at the corners of the first square of ditches and connected to each other by a very high and very thick wall.

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The owners plan to open the gardens to the public once they have been renovated and under terms that will be discussed with local associations.

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https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/chateau-de-lignon