Château de Châteaugiron

Of the old medieval fortress, renovated between 1450 and 1470 by Jean de Derval, important remains survive. It had 6 towers, an entrance gatehouse with a drawbridge and the lord's lodging. The oldest part is the choir of the Romanesque castle chapel (thirteenth century). Four towers still stand: the keep (thirteenth–fifteenth century), originally independent of the castle, 38 metres high; the Clock tower (fourteenth–fifteenth) served as belfry during the Ancien Régime; the Watch and Cardinal towers (fifteenth) were no doubt built by Jean de Derval and have kept their machicolated wall-walk.

The alterations made by the Le Prestre family in the eighteenth century consisted in remodelling and enlarging the medieval lodging in a French-style architecture. One of the corner towers of the old lodging was demolished to make way for a pavilion with a wooden gallery that continued on the old wall-walk. Large gardens were laid out to the east and the old entrance gatehouse that gave access to the castle from the town was also remodelled within a group of buildings now vanished.

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