En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Gouttières stands on a spur at the confluence of the Cher and the Maréchat stream, in the commune of Saint-Genest, south of Montluçon (Allier). According to local tradition, an early castle known as the "Château d'Hirondelle" is said to have been built there as early as the 9th century, before being destroyed in the 10th century during the Magyar invasions. The fortress was rebuilt around 1150 by Thomas Brandon. It was taken by Henry II Plantagenet in 1170, then recaptured from the English in 1188 by Philip II Augustus and Gui de Dampierre, before being occupied in 1359 by the English captain Robert Knolles. It was looted by Protestants in 1568. The present château, dating from the 15th century, consists of a rectangular two-storey main building flanked by two large towers on its side façades, a stair tower and two corner turrets at the rear; the whole was originally protected by five towers linked by massive walls, lined with wide moats with a portcullis and drawbridge. Sold to Sébastien Bizet at the end of the 18th century, it remains private property today. Since 2002, the château's park has been the subject of a heritage inventory record (Mérimée database, reference IA03000243).
