Clan Rising
Château des Tourelles today

France · Still standing

Château des Tourelles

Château des Tourelles is a compact stone castle composed of multiple large cylindrical towers grouped tightly together on a low, grassy riverside site. The surviving structure presents smooth pale ashlar walls, narrow vertical slit windows and steep conical slate roofs, standing isolated among park trees beside a road and water.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1400

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1400

What Château des Tourelles looked like in its prime.

A compact cluster of massive cylindrical towers built of pale grey limestone ashlar, each topped by a steep conical slate roof; three prominent round towers form the visible façade with a taller central mass behind. Walls show regular horizontal masonry bands, narrow vertical slit windows and a single ground-level arched doorway at the centre. The building sits on a flat grassy lawn edged by mature trees and a road, with a river visible to the right.

Its story

The story of Château des Tourelles.

The Château des Tourelles at Vernon originated in 1196, when Philippe Auguste, fighting Richard the Lionheart for possession of Normandy, seized the town and made it a military base. The castle consists of a square tower surrounded by four round turrets, the whole edifice rising to a height of twenty metres.

It is one of the few castles in France to have remained practically unchanged for 800 years, smooth pale ashlar walls, narrow slit windows and steep conical slate roofs on a low riverside site. The property of the commune since 1955, it has been listed as a monument historique since 1945.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1400.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Château des Tourelles, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Frontal approach from the roadView from the riverbankClose-up at the central doorwayBase of a round tower looking upLow-angle view of conical roofsTree-framed park view

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Recreate Château des Tourelles with AI to explore it.

The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1400, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Questions about Château des Tourelles

What is the history of Château des Tourelles?

Château des Tourelles originated in 1196 as part of Philippe Auguste’s military base at Vernon. He seized the town while fighting Richard the Lionheart for control of Normandy. The castle later became a minoterie, then a prison during the Revolution and a caserne from 1841 to 1849. It suffered wartime destruction in 1940 and 1944, followed by reconstruction in 1984 and 1997.

What is inside Château des Tourelles?

Château des Tourelles contains a ground-floor hall, a first-floor high chamber and a spiral staircase leading to the chemin de ronde. The high chamber has a ribbed vault with carved foliage and human heads, while the ground-floor spaces include vaulted corridors and former arrow slits. The building also has four circular turrets with internal passages and small rooms.

Why was Château des Tourelles built, and what was it used for?

Château des Tourelles was built to strengthen Vernon’s defences and protect the bridge. It was established as a military stronghold, with a square tower and four cylindrical turrets, and stood beside the bridge it controlled. Its use later changed: it became a flour mill, then a prison during the Revolution and a barracks from 1841 to 1849.

Where is Château des Tourelles?

Château des Tourelles is in Vernon, in Normandy’s Eure department. It stands on the eastern edge of the Seine valley, near the Vieux-Moulin, between the river and the slope leading towards the Vexin plateau. The castle is beside the river and the bridge it once commanded.

When was Château des Tourelles built?

Château des Tourelles was first raised in the late twelfth century, in 1196. It was built under Philippe Auguste after he seized Vernon and made it a military base. The surviving structure is a square building with four round turrets, and the castle is also described as a thirteenth-century edifice.

What did Château des Tourelles look like in its prime?

In its prime, Château des Tourelles was a compact square stone castle surrounded by four large cylindrical turrets. It was built in regular Vernon limestone ashlar, with smooth pale walls, narrow vertical slit windows and steep conical slate roofs. The visible façade has three prominent round towers, with a taller central mass behind, standing on a low grassy riverside site.

Is Château des Tourelles still standing, or is it a ruin?

Château des Tourelles is still standing and is described as intact. It has undergone substantial restoration and reconstruction: the west turret’s lower two levels were rebuilt in 1984 and its upper levels in 1997 after wartime destruction. The restoration campaign that covered remaining openings and masonry was completed in September 2019.

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