History of the Castle

The castle of Valcreuse was formerly called "Le Châtelet". It was built by the doctor Antoine Bergerault around the year 1850. Born in 1814 in Abilly in Indre-et-Loire, Antoine Bergerault studied medicine in Paris, where he graduated as a doctor in 1838. Before settling in La Roche-Posay, he owned the castle of the village of Mairé. He sold the castle of Mairé and settled in the village of Lésigny. He then began to buy land in La Roche-Posay, adjacent to the banks of the Creuse, with a view to building a residence. 

Shortly after Bergerault built the castle “at great expense” the land was fenced. According to a description of the property in 1889, the dwelling included "a basement divided into a kitchen, a small dining room, servants' bedrooms and cellars; a ground floor consisting of a vestibule, four living rooms and a dining room; on the first floor four bedrooms and toilets; on the second floor five bedrooms, attic above; and toilets. "

The plots surrounding the buildings are devoted to the garden and a large leisure park. It is close to the "English" gardens, with large expanses of lawn dotted with large solitary trees or in groves. The land between the castle and the suburb of Arceau was planted with vines, and the northern part was converted into an orchard and a vegetable garden.

Antoine Bergerault was a member of the General Council of Vienne.  After his death at Châtelet in 1888, the property passed to his son, Georges Bergerault. The castle was sold a year later for 40,000 francs to Léonie Combier. She was the daughter of the wealthy founder of the Combier distillery in Saumur, Jean-Baptiste Combier, famous for inventing Triple-Sec. Léonie's husband, Michel Cazal, from Thionville, made a career in the army. In La Roche-Posay, he was the chairman of the board of directors of the Société de l'Établissement Thermal and the Grand Hôtel. It was between 1896 and 1901 that the castle took the name of “Valcreuse”. At the end of his life, Michel Cazal retired to Valcreuse and died there in 1918. A year later, ownership of the château passed to one of the family's sons, Édouard Cazal. 

Educated at Saint-Cyr, Édouard Cazal was also a soldier. In July 1914, he took early retirement and stayed in Valcreuse. On June 22, 1940, the castle of Valcreuse was bombarded by German troops. During this attack, the explosion of a grenade or a bomb damaged part of the eastern facade. The colonel remained owner of Valcreuse until 1945, until his death in La Roche-Posay. His eldest son, Jean Cazal, then acquired the castle. He later died in 1971. The château remained empty until 1975 when it was sold to Jean-Luc and Jacqueline Jacquemin Sablon. They kept castle until 1987.

Since then the castle has been converted into a holiday home. The original fireplaces, paneling, joinery and parquet floors have been preserved. During the 20th century, the building changed little. Only a few decorative elements have disappeared, such as the lace of the woodwork which adorned the overhanging trusses of the facades, as well as a rockery decoration at the foot of the eastern facade, still visible on certain postcards from the beginning of the 20th century.