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Key figures

Origin and history

The castel of Andorte came into being in the 10th century, when the estate, then named Hoc-Lou ("High Place"), belonged to the lords of Illac. Located in a high position, it later became En Dorte due to its isolation, housing a modest fortified building surrounded by woods and swamps. In 1180, Arnaud d'Illac raised the estate in seigneury under Henry II, king of England, before yielding the nearby forest to the Saint-Seurin Chapter of Bordeaux. The site then changed hands several times, passing in particular to the families of Goth, Samadat, and Vallier, until it was acquired in 1585 by Jeanne Larquier, then by Pierre de Châlard, initiating a long trial with the Saint-Seurin Chapter.

In the 17th century, after decades of litigation and feudal seizure, the estate was finally ceded in 1781 to Abbé Jean de Laborde, Dean of the Saint-Seurin Chapter. The latter, dissatisfied with the old state of medieval buildings, had them shaved in 1784. He then ordered a new building to architect François Lhote, according to the plans of Victor Louis, famous for the Grand Theatre of Bordeaux. The construction, completed in 1787, is neo-classical, with a central pavilion flanked by symmetrical commons. However, the abbot, forced to emigrate during the Revolution, saw his property confiscated as national property in 1795 and sold at auction.

In the 19th century, Dr. Joseph-Guillaume Desmaisons, nephew of Dr. Guillotin, transformed the castel into a luxury psychiatric centre for affluent patients, opened in 1845 after expansion work. The establishment, renowned, accommodates up to 50 residents and survives a fire in 1925. In 1968, after more than a century of medical activity, the centre closed. Purchased by the commune of Bouscat in 1989, the estate became a public park (the Oak Forest) in 1990. Since 2022, the castel, partially protected from historical monuments, is being renovated to house a cultural centre (dance school, theatre, exhibitions).

Architecturally, the castel is distinguished by its three-level main pavilion, including an intact Louis XVI lounge and a garden-side rotunda. The communes, initially four, were enlarged in the 19th century to house patients. The park, formerly French (11 hectares), is now reduced to 7 hectares in an English style. The sober neo-classical facades present carved decorations evoking the vine, with reference to the Abbé de Laborde, who was then a wine-owner.

The protection of the monument gradually expanded: facades and roofs were registered in 1965, followed by a total inscription of the main pavilion and its outbuildings in 2009, and the bath building in 2023. The Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, Nobel Prize laureate of literature in 1956, celebrated the park in his writings during a stay in the establishment.

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