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Origin and history

The Château de Lignières, located in Lignières-Sonneville (Charente), is a 17th and 18th century building built on the remains of a first medieval castle. It is surrounded by moat fed by a river, and its architecture combines a body of rectangular houses on one floor, covered with a Mansart roof, and two pavilions flanked by mâchicoulis. The south façade has a door in the middle of the wall surrounded by pilasters, while the interiors, although remodeled, retain two original chimneys on the first floor.

The history of the site dates back to 1116, where a Geoffroy de Lignières is mentioned in a cartular of the Abbey of The Crown. The seigneury of Lignières, reporting directly to the king, belonged in particular to the Poussard family from 1475 to 1709. The present castle was rebuilt at the beginning of the seventeenth century for Charles Poussard by architect Jehan Cosset, as evidenced by a notarial act of 1620. After 1709, the property passed to the Plas family until 1829. Interior modifications were made in the 18th century, and a farm was dated 1779.

Ranked a historic monument in 1977 for its facades and roofs, and partly registered since 1973 for its chimneys, the castle was restored from 1977. Today owned by the commune, it houses the services of the town hall. Its architecture, combining defensive elements (douves, mâchicoulis) and residential elements (roof at the Mansart, interior decorations), illustrates the transition between medieval castles and the seigneurial residences of the Modern Times.

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