Château de Charry

The Château de Charry is a castle, originally 15th century, in the commune of Montcuq in the Lot département of France. The castle was built in three stages. It was initially a keep whose principal masonry was flanked by two polygonal towers. It was encircled by a fortified curtain wall; the remains of this are the third tower, though not connected to the main building, and a rectangular barbican. Cannon positions defended access to the well. An underground passage linked the barbican to one of the towers of the keep. A second period of building, in the 17th century, added the central building to the right of the tower, as well as buildings forming the court. In the 19th century, the main building was joined to the round tower of the ramparts. This keep provided a firing line between Montcuq and the keep at Marcilhac, and guaranteed the defence of the Charry valley The castle is privately owned. It has been listed since 1976 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. David Garnett, the British writer and publisher and a prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group, moved to France and lived at the Château de Charry after his separation from his wife, Angelica. He died there in 1981. ^ Ministry of Culture web site database:Château de Charry Less