Saint-Héand, Rhône 42570

A 16th century chteau, outbuildings, including two orangeries, and 4 hectares of parkland overlooking the Forez plain, 20 minutes from Saint-Etienne. Once you have passed through the large entrance gates at the end of a country road, a French-style formal garden unfolds, followed by the main courtyard, which leads to the imposing, elegant chteau that faces the setting sun. The garden is bordered to the north by two barns and to the south by a caretaker's cottage. A wide stone staircase leads to a second French-style formal garden to the south of the building, where large topiaries surround a circular pool with a fountain at its centre. The chteau, built at the end of the 16th century under Henry Iv on 11th century foundations and cellars by a lord of Saint-Victor, has a rectangular tower at each of its four corners, as well as a round tower to the south, which was incorporated into the rest of the building when it was extended. It is three storeys high, the first two of which are fully completed. The chteau is built in a light ochre-coloured stone, which becomes warmly coloured in the setting sun. To the east of the chteau, a two flighted staircase around a monumental fountain provides access to the upper part of the parkland, between two typical 18th-century lodges. Two long barns, each measuring around 300 m, run alongside the north faade of the chteau and close off the main courtyard. The property has two entrances, one leading to the main courtyard, and the other leading to the main entrance to the chteau and its Renaissance garden.