Castle for Sale: In need of a handy-man, the Château de l’Herm located in Dordogne hasn’t been inhabited since 1605. A veritable, but charming ruin

Château de l’Herm is a castle in the commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac in the départment of Dordogne in the Aquitaine region of France. The Château de l’Herm was built in a Renaissance and Gothic style between 1500 and 1520 by Jean de Calvimont in the Forêt Barade. Jean de Calvimont was in the Bordeaux parliament and ambassador of Francis I to Spain. It was later abandoned, after the family left it in 1605 and has not been inhabited since. Eugène Le Roy used it as a setting in his novel Jacquou le Croquant. (1899), which was set in the early 1800s and used real place names and locations. In the book, a Barade forest peasant rebels against the evil Comte de Nansac from the Château de l’Herm. The novel was filmed in 2007.

Château de l’Herm has retained all its original features and offers no less than 13 fireplaces, which are still intact. Although the castle has been carefully preserved, it will take someone who is really passionate about architecture and history to take the project in hand and return this ruin into a habitable castle. This would entail restoring the original slate roof, and reinstall the three floors. The property extends over 1ha and has two small houses, one of which is habitable for the 20 years or so it will take before the castle will be habitable.

The moats are still visible, but need to be recreated: Warning: lot’s of archaeologists will have to sift the debris there.

The castle is listed as a historical monuments (ISMH), which is sure to add further challenges to anyone thinking about getting it in working order.

Asking price is 752 000 €, full listing here.