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Origin and history

The Château de la Borde, located in Vernou-en-Sologne in the Loir-et-Cher, is a building built between 1643 and 1645, during the first half of the seventeenth century. This monument, little modified since its erection, reflects the architecture of the Grand Siècle, with notable interior arrangements, including a walled room attributed to Jean Berain (1687-1688), transferred at the beginning of the 20th century from the Hotel de Mailly in Paris. Its environment has evolved with fashion, including the addition of a landscaped park in the 19th century, while minor changes, such as a ground floor gallery covered on a terrace, date back to the early 20th century.

The castle has undergone structural alterations over time, such as the filling of its ditches in 1830 and the resurgence of its motte, marking an adaptation to the needs and tastes of successive periods. Ranked Historic Monument by order of 24 November 1994, it includes in its protection the castle itself, its outbuildings (excluding the water castle) and its park. Today owned by a private company, the site retains traces of its aristocratic past, although its current use is not specified in the sources.

The initial architectural elements, such as the round towers visible on the Napoleonic cadastre of 1833 (while the castle was still intact), suggest a possible older origin, perhaps reworked in the seventeenth century. The estate originally formed a large closed courtyard, including a fortified farm in square. Despite these indications, no explicit mention in the sources confirms a construction prior to the 17th century for the current house body. The castle thus illustrates both the permanence of medieval defensive structures and the adaptation to classical aesthetic canons under the Old Regime.

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