This military room was equipped with latrines that were walled-up during the late XIVth or XVth c. work campaign, when the curtain-wall was thickened and straightened up.

Look at the first-floor chimney pipe and where it would, in the XIIIth c., come out of the pepperbox.

Note the difference in colour of the stone where the tower was raised in the XIVth c., from the fourth course of stones above the window frames.

The arrow-slits are longer in this room than in the other towers at this level, which suggests different building programmes.

Unlike the other window frames at the same level in the other towers, both sides of the ceiling rest on a supporting wall, not a console.

And last, because this tower was smaller than its sisters, the keystone culminates here at 7m above the ground (6m in the other towers).

© March 2023

This video clip was sponsored by Bourbon-l’Archambault Council. The version of the castle it gives is a little different to that you discovered with us today, particularly with the model of the fortress that was conceived on Gelis-Didot’s tracing and plan (1876). This version is based on the model you can find at the museum in town. The voice-over is from Ms Paule Déborde who, sadly, left us on September 22nd 2021. She was the creator and the curator of the museum.

Amongst the manifest differences between this version and ours, note that there is only one square tower when Gélis-Didot spotted two, and the Quiquengrogne tower shows a additional level at the top of it.

You have now come to the end
of your tour of the castle. We hope that you enjoyed it and that you had a good
time. We also hope that the given information was helpful to you.

 

You enjoyed your visit?

Let us know on the Google page of the castle, our Facebook page or on TripAdvisor.

Thank you!

 

Cautionary:

 Our understanding of this heritage site, and particularly that of the castle itself, is improving month

on month, thanks to our research, observation, and the beautiful encounters, often fortuitous, that allow us to move on.

 

 Lots of unanswered questions still remain, though. Also, please bear in mind that our analyses and

conclusions will have to be confirmed (or infirmed) by archaeologists and scientists.

 This booklet is thus the expression of the current state of knowledge as of this date (June 2022).

 

 Also, in anticipation of conservation and restauration

work at the castle of Bourbon, which are programmed to be launched in 2023, the

Fondation Saint-Louis, owner and contracting authority, are planning a preliminary
study which is to take place soon.

 

 Icing on the cake, an archaeological study of the building, which will definitely

improve our understanding of the site, will be conducted in conjunction, as
well as a digital apparatus which, from June 2023 on, will allow you to
visualise the XIIIth c. polychrome decoration of the Eastern tower
on your tablet or smartphone.

 

Thank you for coming to us today.

See you again!

https://www.chateaudebourbon.fr