Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Vienne, France

Château de Purnon

A remarkably intact Louis XVI château near the village of Verrue, gazing north over the forest of Scévolles, with tuffeau-stone outbuildings, a chapel, the Moulin Bigeard and a rare Éolienne Bollée wind pump. Purchased in 2020 by Australians Tim Holding and Felicity Selkirk, it is now the subject of one of France's largest private restorations.

At a glance

Built: 1779–1788 (estate works from 1772)
Style: Louis XVI neoclassical
Commissioned by: Antoine-Charles Achard, Marquis de la Haye
Signature feature: Near-untouched Louis XVI ensemble with monumental outbuildings
Heritage status: Château, outbuildings, moat and gates classified Monuments Historiques (1995); mill, potager and Éolienne Bollée listed (1992)
Restoration: Roof, charpente and facades under restoration since 2020 with DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine support
Estate: 24 hectares of parkland at the edge of the Forêt de Scévolles
Visiting: Open days each September; restoration ongoing