Saturday and Sunday were European Heritage Days. In France, these days are called Journées du patrimoine. One of the places I explored was the Château de Gonneville. Parts of the château were built between the 13th – 16th and 18th centuries. Two of the oldest structures are the stone towers—the dungeon, which can be seen from the road and the other (dated 1313) in the garden behind the home.
The family of Pirou built most of the château over the ruins of a much older dwelling. The square tower, the moat and drawbridge are all that remains of the first building which gives the château its medieval appearance.
In 1842, two main buildings which connected the tower to the château as well as the Chapel of St. John were demolished under the orders of Dame Lambert who thought there was buried treasure to be found. The façade was mutilated, the mullioned windows and carved transoms, skylights and chimneys were also destroyed. Unsuccessful in her search for buried treasure, Dame Lambert sold the property in 1849.
It has now been restored to much of its original beauty under the direction of current owner, Monsieur de Montfort who provided us with a brief tour and regaled us with stories of German occupation of the property during World War II.