Photo : GFreihalter / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château du Houssoy
The Château du Houssoy, in the Seine-et-Marne, was built on the base of an 11th-century fortified house beside the river Ourcq by the lord Robert de Sepoix. With a farm attached, as was usual in the Middle Ages, it is dominated by a square keep built around 1390. In the area, Septmonts in the Aisne and Vez in the Oise both have square keeps of the same period.
After the castle was besieged by the Duke of Lorraine in 1652, the residence burned down completely, together with its inhabitants, except for three fireplaces still visible. The keep survived the fire and served as a dovecote for many years before gradually being abandoned. It has five vaulted storeys crowned by a circular gallery. It adjoins the fortified farm topped with machicolations, which is now a separate private property.
