Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Loir Castle, located in Sars-et-Rosières, is a historical monument dating back to the early 15th century. Built of brick and sandstone, it has a massed plan with a rectangular body containing four circular towers. The entrance door, dated 1401 or 1404, has a carved lintel of coats of arms and cynegetic motifs. The enamelled brick decoration, forming diamond and cross of Saint Andrew, adorns the second and third levels. The ditches, now dried up, and the archer-canonniers recall its initial defensive vocation.

The fief de la Rosière, mentioned from the 13th century, saw the building of the present castle for Louis Gossuin, seigneur of Quesnoy. The estate remained in his family until 1771, when he was acquired by Nicolas-Joseph du Buisson, a former bishop of Douai. In the 19th century, major transformations were undertaken: Charles-Joseph Duthoit, son-in-law of du Buisson, replaced the ogival crosses with classical windows, while Henri Duthoit, Count and owner from 1885 onward, carried out neo-medieval restorations (staining bays, porch-pigeon, parapet of the bridge).

The 19th century works also include the reconstruction of ancillary buildings ( stables, houses) and the modification of moat. A fire in 1919 destroyed the floors, frames and roofs, leaving the castle in ruins. The elements protected since 1969 testify to its hybrid architecture, mixing medieval remains and modern additions, although the site is now abandoned after decades of neglect after its sale by Henri Duthoit.

The lower yard, accessible by a driveway of lime trees and a brick porch-colombier, preserves traces of agricultural developments (stable stable, cement friezes). The system of ditches, partially filled, and the vaulted rooms of the basement recall the original spatial organization. The turrets, covered with pepper roofs, and the large room on the first floor illustrate the residential and defensive duality of the castle, typical of the seigneurial fortresses of northern France.

The 19th-century sources (Duthilloeul, La Grange and d'Herbommez) describe a domain then maintained, with a courtyard surrounded by outbuildings and a renovated 18th-century home. The restorations of Henri Duthoit, although historically critical, marked the current aspect of the site, before its decline in the 20th century. Today, the remains of the castle, classified in 1969, offer a fragmentary but precious testimony of the castral architecture in Hauts-de-France, between medieval heritage and modern interventions.

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