Château de Rambures


Le Château de Rambures is a castle situated in the commune of Rambures in the Somme département of France.
It was constructed in the Middle Ages in the style of a military fortress of the 15th century and was one of the first castles in Europe to be constructed almost exclusively in bricks. The castle is set in a park, the Parc et Roseraie du Château de Rambures containing a rose garden and ancient trees.
The castle contains very interesting Picardy furniture from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
It has been classified as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1927.

Description

The castle is laid out as a square and is composed of eight towers and half-towers. The towers form the corners of the square and are linked by the half-towers. There is a single room on each level of the towers between the basement and the second floor. Communication between the underground level and the second floor is provided by four spiral staircases placed in the internal angles of the corner towers. The castle was constructed within a dry moat and is built largely of brick, a defensive measure against the then new artillery, with some limestone. Located near the frontier between the French and English territories, construction began during the Hundred Years' War but it was not complete until after the end of the war.

History

The estate has been passed down by inheritance and through marriage since the 11th century. The Rambures name first appeared in 1058. Famous Rambures include David, Lord Rambures from Shakespeare's Henry V, and Charles, the so-called "Brave Rambures" who saved the life of Henry IV of France in 1590.
Successive owners are:
Seigneurs de Rambures
Marquis de Rambures direct line
Marquis de Rambures by alliance - family of La Roche Fontenilles
Contemporary epoch
The castle and its park are open to the public from 1 March to mid-November, and during the rest of the year by appointment.