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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Touffou Castle, located on a terrace overlooking Vienna in Bonnes (New Aquitaine), is mentioned for the first time in 1127 as Tolfol. Its first Romanesque dungeon, built in the 12th century by the Oger family, marks the beginning of a medieval fortress. The site is strategically positioned, surrounded by dry moat and retaining walls, forming a defensive quadrilateral still visible today.

In the 15th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Chasteigner family, which enlarged the dungeon and erected round towers, consolidating its defensive plan. John III Chasteigner de la Roche-Posay, the chamberlain of François I, and his wife Claude de Montléon then transformed the house in the 16th century, adding Renaissance elements. The family retained the estate until 1821, during which time the castle underwent major improvements, such as the construction of a wing in return for a square and the repair of the towers.

The castle changed owners several times from the 19th century. In 1794, he was placed under revolutionary seals before being returned in 1803 and sold in 1821 to Colonel Alexandre Marie de Gréaulme. In 1897, Vergie's family acquired and carried out important restorations, perpetuating the tradition of hunting. During World War II, the castle welcomed 200 German soldiers, while Bonnes was already home to Mosellan refugees. In 1966, he was bought by British commercial David Ogilvy, who died there in 1999.

Ranked a historic monument in 1923 for its enclosure, terraces and chaplaincy, Touffou saw its gardens and remains of towers protected in 1992 and 1994. The contemporary gardens, created from 1966 onwards, are structured around three distinct spaces: an English garden with rose garden, a Chaplain's Garden with giant artichokes, and an Italian terrace overlooking Vienna, designed by architect Paolo Perjoné. The park, labeled Remarkable Garden since 2004, completes this site combining military history, Renaissance architecture and landscape art.

The architecture of the castle reflects its multiple construction periods. The central dungeon, rectangular (27 m x 13 m), retains a 13th century heraldic polychromy and is flanked by turrets. Gothic elements, such as machicolis, coexist with Renaissance additions, such as the Saint John Tower or the West Wing. The dry moats, the capons under the drawbridges, and both wells testify to its defensive role. Outside the ramparts, chaplaincy and communes, partly dating from the eighteenth century (portal of 1784), recall seigneurial life.

The revolutionary archives reveal that on the eve of 1789 the estate consisted of 16 estates, mills, and lands spread over Bonnes and its surroundings. After 1966, restoration campaigns (stairs between 1905-1936, towers of the Hostellerie in the 1930s) preserved this heritage. Today, Touffou combines historical visit, accommodation, and cultural events, while perpetuating its exceptional architectural and landscape heritage.

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