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Origin and history

The Château Lescombes, located in the village of Eysines en Gironde, finds its origins in the old castle of La Plane, part of the seigneury of the same name. This estate, which included vineyards and a forest, was built by the Feuillants and belonged to a wealthy Bordeaux family, whose coat of arms, representing three ducks, is still visible above the front door. The castle was destroyed at the end of the Hundred Years' War, then rebuilt in the seventeenth century, retaining only the coat of arms and a staircase leading to the cellar from the medieval era.

In 1724, the Duret family, from the Bordeaux bourgeoisie and linked to trading, acquired the noble house of the Plane. The estate evolves over the centuries, notably with the addition of a monumental dovecote in the seventeenth century, inscribed with historical monuments in 1992. This dovecote, symbol of nobiliary privilege, was also a well supplying the castle with drinking water, before being transformed into a water castle in the 19th century. Its architecture includes a cylindrical tower with a stone dome, now integrated into the ecomuseum of market gardening.

The castle, bought by the town of Eysines in 1989, now houses a contemporary art centre designed by architect Marcel Mirande. Since 1998, it has been offering exhibitions by national and international artists, focusing on the pictorial creation of the second half of the twentieth century. The estate also preserves architectural remains, such as four angle towers with a pepper roof and a quadrilateral inner courtyard, visible on the cadastre of 1811. The entrance to the art centre is free, reflecting a desire for cultural democratization.

The name Lescombes would come from the combas gascon, evoking valleys or combes. The site thus combines historical heritage, with its medieval and classical elements, and contemporary cultural dynamism. The dovecote, devoid of a bolt but equipped with old stone floor supports, bears witness to the successive adaptations of the estate, between agricultural utility, nobiliary symbol and museum function.

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