Château de Bouges

Situated near Valençay, the château de Bouges is an Italian style building which elegantly illustrates 18th century arts. In 1759, Charles-François Leblanc de Manarval purchased the Bouges grounds. This ironmaster and manager of the woollen cloth royal manufacture in Châteauroux had the château erected in freestone. The building, attributed to Jacques-Ange Gabriel, singularly resembles the Petit Trianon in Versailles. The most significant part of the castle's charm resides in its "inhabited" aspect.
Bouquets from the adjoining garden welcome the visitors all year round. Most of the seats and furniture date back to the 18th century, the golden age of French furniture. This particular feature is due to the improvement works mainly carried out by Henri Viguier, chairman and managing director of the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville and his wife. They bought the château in 1917 and bequeathed it in 1968 to the National Fund for Historical Monuments and Sites. The formal garden in the French style and 80-ha grounds stretch out around the château. The old "farmyard" is surrounded on both sides by buildings which are topped up by high, Mansard style, slate roofs. They accommodate beautiful stables, two tack rooms and a horse-drawn carts museum.