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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Ponce, located in Ponce-sur-le-Loir, finds its origins in a first medieval building of the 11th–13th centuries, of which only the bases of two towers remain. Acquised in the 14th century by Bouchard de Courtremblay, it passes by alliance to the Angennes, then to the Chambray. The latter, notably Jean V de Chambray and his wife Éléonore des Feugerets, undertook his reconstruction around 1542 in a Renaissance style, as evidenced by the date engraved on a console on the staircase.

The building remained in the same family line until 1895, traversing centuries by female inheritances: from Chambray to Thiville, then to the Coigne, Durcet, and finally to the Leconte de Nonant. In 1895, the Count of Partz acquired it before selling it in 1924 to Dr.Latron, who carried out important restoration works with architects such as Polti and Truth. The castle retains remarkable elements such as a Renaissance charmill maze and a neo-Gothic decor added in 1830.

Ranked as a historical monument in 1928 for its facades, its interior staircase and its dovecote, Poncé is distinguished by a staircase with 160 carved caissons, unique in France. The gardens, including the 16th century charmille and a plane tree planted around 1580, were classified in 1999 and labeled a remarkable garden. The communes (1775) and the Terrace Caroline (classified in 1989) complete this exceptional architectural and landscape ensemble.

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