Nine centuries of French history
The castle of the Tour d'Oyré
Olivia and Antoine welcome you to what they are keen to call their "family home", a haven of nature and
history on the outskirts of Poitou.
Built at the beginning of the XIIth century, the Château de la Tour d'Oyré is an inviting residence nestled in nature which offers majestic landscapes and wild visions.
Surrounded by forests and stone walls, away from urban tumults, the English-style park is the privileged shelter of a
generous fauna that the family gazes fondly at everyday.
The park unfolds its paintings over the seasons, its large vaporous meadows studded with wild flowers in alleys of century-old trees, the coppery edges of autumn being the favorite scene of many of the guests.
Nine centuries through
the history of France
The castle was built around 1180 at the request of Raoul de Faye, uncle of Eleanor of Aquitaine,
Queen of France then of England.
On March 6, 1262, the knight Guillaume du Rivau yielded this fief to Hugues de Châteauroux, bishop of Poitiers, for one hundred pounds. The Tour d'Oyré and its outbuildings became the country residence of the canons
of the cathedral church of Poitiers.
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On May 21, 1447, the bishop of Poitiers Guillaume de Charpaigne sold the lordship of the Tour d'Oyré to Charles of Anjou (king of Naples and Sicily, last son of the king of France Louis VIII) who gave it the following year
to his butler Huguet de Billy.
Around 1510, Eustache d'Argence sold the Tour d'Oyré to René de Puyguyon whose daughter Lucrèce married Honorat Eschalard de la Boullaye -whose mother-in-law was married to Sully who had come to prepare the Edict of Nantes at Châtellerault. La Tour d'Oyré being a Protestant stronghold, it is said that the children of Honorat were brought up at Court. Lucrèce ardently defended the cause of reform. His son Charles was brought up at the court of Navarre. He then distinguished himself by his adventurous and enterprising spirit.
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His grandson Maximilien Eschalard sold the Tour d'Oyré to the Cotherau de Grandchamps family around 1690.
During the Revolution, two-thirds of the castle and its archives were burned. The current castle, of a substantial size, corresponds to only a third of the original building and it has never been rebuilt.
The descendants of Eschalard emigrated and the Tour d'Oyré was sold in 1796. Citizen Braffaut acquired it and carried out numerous transformations before his descendants, the Chabot family, inherited it.
Adrien Chabot published several novels about daily life in Châtellerault that were published in the journal des Deux Mondes (renowned literary publication created in 1829).
Many literary personalities stayed
at the Tour d'Oyré, including Charles Gounod and Ludovic Halévy, the librettist of Offenbach, who wrote a short story which plot is located in the park of the castle renamed the 'Roche-Targé'
(The Horse of the Trumpet, 1883). ​
In 1880, the Tour d'Oyré entered the family of Adrien Treuille.
The descendants remain the
current owners.
A contemporary estate
Antoine and Olivia have been working for several years to preserve this place and restore the abandoned farm buildings. The old farmhouse is now an enchanting hamlet made up of the large fully renovated reception barn and the charming stone cottages.
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Both aesthetes, the couple decorates the facades of this old building with coherent and elegant colors associated with plantations of roses, vines and hydrangeas which add to the charm of the place.
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An orchard will be replanted in 2023 where it was originally located.
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The castle is listed in the inventory of French historical monuments, in particular thanks the value of the facades, the roofs and the living room enhanced with an exceptional painted decoration from the XVIIth century.
Remarkable points of interest of the estate
The tithe barn
A key element of the estate, this large-scale building is in a remarkable state of preservation, almost intact since its construction in 1509. It was inspired by the Meslay barn, a monastic building still in existence for agricultural use.
The tithe barn takes its name from the monks who stored there the tithe (crop tax abolished in 1789) collected from the neighbouring peasants.
The dovecote
At the turn of a walk, you will find this large round construction in ruins, the substantial size of which -with its two hundred putlogs- is indicative of the past grandeur of the estate. The pigeons provided fertilizer for the cultivated land and also served as delicacies for the castle table.
The archway
When walking from the hamlet towards the terrace of the castle, you will go through this archway which gives way to the wide view of the belvedere of the park.
This Gothic style element was not built with the castle but brought from a farm by the owner's grandfather
and added in 1930.
The weather vane
Only the most seasoned eyes will glimpse on the roof the half-dragon half-sea monster weather vane, evocative of the figure of Mélusine, famous Poitevin myth of the fairy-snake castle builder. One of Mélusine's springs is located not far from the estate.
This singular little beast watches over the castle
and inspired the logo of the Tour d'Oyré.
During a stroll in the Parc de la Tour d'Oyré, you will find many other natural and architectural marvels, including access to the old buried cooler and the mascaron stuck in the wall overlooking the large park.