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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Clavières was built in the 16th century by Antoine Jugleron and his wife Catherine de Grobost. According to a 1540 confession, the seigneury included a strong house, two towers and ditches. A chapel dedicated to Saint Eloi was built there. In 1680, the castle served as a dwelling for the farmers of the nearby forges, then owned by the princes of Condé.

In the 18th century, the castle changed hands several times among industrial families: Claude Leblanc de Marnaval, Antoine Grétré, and then the Grenouillet family. In 1826, it was acquired by Aubertot, master of forges, before being bought in 1876 by Berthier de Grandry, whose descendants still owned it. The architect Alfred Dauvergne carried out notable restorations on facades and roofs.

The castle, bordered by the Indre River, preserves a body of houses flanked by turrets, whose southeast part, the oldest, dates back to the 16th century. The entrance is marked by two 18th century pavilions. The park, planted with centuries-old plane trees, and the remains of the nearby forges (barrages, water retentions) testify to its link with the historical steel industry of the region.

The forges of Claviers, created in 1666 by the princes of Condé, were among the most important in the kingdom, supplying the arsenal of Rochefort. Their decline in the 19th century and their closure in 1874 marked the end of a flourishing industrial era, leaving behind them hydraulic infrastructures still visible today, such as the "shovels" of water retention or workers' housing.

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