Top 3 Castles around Gruson

Nice, rolling section with no traffic.

The building is currently completely covered in scaffolding. The site will become a large wellness complex, developed by Waer Waters. Source: notele.be

The Château de Beauregard dates from the late 18th century. The neoclassical building was commissioned by Hippolyte Marescaille de Courcelles and built by Antoine Payen-le-Vieux, an architect from Tournai, starting in 1795. The manor house stands on a former castle site that had belonged to several families since the 15th century. The two-story castle was extended in 1841 with a third story in the same style. The castle, with a pond and a balustrade-lined terrace, is situated in an English-style parkland with meadows planted with ginkgo trees (Chinese conifers), weeping willows, and purple beeches. The manor house consists of a rectangular main building with a peristyle connecting the two projecting wings to the facade. The facade extends over seven bays and three stories. A staircase leads to the peristyle with Tuscan columns and the entablature with triglyphs that supports the balustrade-lined terrace on the second floor. The plastered facade has bays with corner and central stone mullions, each adorned with a tall stone keystone. The side facade consists of six bays and is lit by openings with beveled frames. To the south of the castle is a courtyard with brick outbuildings, built by A. Decraene in 1842. The complex was classified as a protected heritage site on November 4, 1976 (the complex includes the castle, the park, and the tourist center, consisting of the church, the lime-tree-lined avenue leading to it, the old watermill, the ponds, and the surrounding grounds). Source: agencewallonnedupatrimoine.be

Today, the Camille Depinoy municipal school is partly housed in the castle (park).

The lordship of Templeuve is already mentioned at the end of the 13th century. In 1278, Guillaume de Mortagne received the lordship of Rumez, which is now a hamlet within the municipality. Guillaume was also lord of Dossemer, near Templeuve. It is assumed that he also received the lordship of Templeuve from there. In any case, his son, Guillaume II, gave it to his wife as a dowry in the early 14th century. Dossemer and Templeuve remained in the hands of the Mortagne family until the end of the 14th century. This family presumably gradually expanded the manor, thus laying the foundation for the first fortified castle in Templeuve-en-Dossimer. In 1414, only Templeuve came into the possession of the du Quesnoy family. The Blondel and finally the Lannoy families followed. Around 1500, the castle likely became a manor house and a farm. The evolution of military weapons led the lords to demolish the old, cumbersome fortress and replace it with a lavish and modern residence. Out of respect for feudal traditions, which would continue for another two centuries, the moat was preserved, but the drawbridge was replaced by a permanent stone bridge. Originally, moats ran along all sides of the castle. The moat surrounding the castle on the east side was removed in 1845 by Victor de Formanoir de la Cazerie. The towers, a privilege of the noble lord, are preserved more as decoration than as a means of defense, as is the quadrangular shape, which was once dictated by military necessity. In short, its appearance as a 'castle' or 'fort' is more defined by tradition and grandeur than by military function. Source: Wikipedia

The Château de Royères, probably around 1100, was a feudal motte with a wooden tower and a retractable walkway... which Havide de Néchin brought as a dowry to Lambert de Wattrelos. The inhabitants of Tournai submitted to Philip II Augustus. The Tournai region would belong to the French royal family for over 300 years (1187-1521). La Royère is located in the Château de Lille, in the Flanders region, on the hills of Leers and Néchin, on the edge of the Wattines forest, on the border with Tournaisis: it is the castle of the border. In 1227, it was probably a feudal motte with a stone tower that was purchased by Arnoul IV. Wealthier than the seller Hugues de Roubaix, he may have had Tournai's stone walls built. From 1500 onwards, the lords of Roubaix also became lords of La Royère through marriage: the de Werchin and the de Melun. Pierre de Melun, governor of Tournai, lord of Roubaix and La Royère, and a Protestant supporter, was considered civilly dead by Philip II, the Catholic king. His possessions passed to the Ligne family through Anne de Melun. As a supporter of the Edict of Nantes (Henry IV, 1598), Louis XIV returned La Royère to the de Melun family. This led to family disputes: the property first went to the de Ligne family and then back to the de Melun family. A Crombez from Tournai bought La Royère, 35 hectares (Popp map circa 1850). Miss Crombez de Remond de Montmort married Count Ferdinand Costa de Saint-Gérix de Beauregard… Everything was then sold to farmers. Source: leershistorique.fr

However dilapidated the castle may be, the future promises improvement: The current owners of the castle, Pierre and Annie Moulin-Duthoit and their children, are responsible for its restoration, particularly Olivier Moulin, who wrote a thesis on this heritage at the end of his architectural studies. ...that's why you can see signs of construction work from a distance (approaching close is not permitted). Source: leershistorique.fr

The Château de Royères, probably around 1100, was a feudal motte with a wooden tower and a retractable walkway... which Havide de Néchin brought as a dowry to Lambert de Wattrelos. The inhabitants of Tournai submitted to Philip II Augustus. The Tournai region would belong to the French royal family for over 300 years (1187-1521). La Royère is located in the Château de Lille, in the Flanders region, on the hills of Leers and Néchin, on the edge of the Wattines forest, on the border with Tournaisis: it is the castle of the border. In 1227, it was probably a feudal motte with a stone tower that was purchased by Arnoul IV. Wealthier than the seller Hugues de Roubaix, he may have had Tournai's stone walls built. From 1500 onwards, the lords of Roubaix also became lords of La Royère through marriage: the de Werchin and the de Melun. Pierre de Melun, governor of Tournai, lord of Roubaix and La Royère, and a Protestant supporter, was considered civilly dead by Philip II, the Catholic king. His possessions passed to the Ligne family through Anne de Melun. As a supporter of the Edict of Nantes (Henry IV, 1598), Louis XIV returned La Royère to the de Melun family. This led to family disputes: the property first went to the de Ligne family and then back to the de Melun family. A Crombez from Tournai bought La Royère, 35 hectares (Popp map circa 1850). Miss Crombez de Remond de Montmort married Count Ferdinand Costa de Saint-Gérix de Beauregard… Everything was then sold to farmers. Source: leershistorique.fr