The Chateau de la Mercerie is in the commune of Magnac-lavalette-Villars in the Charente department, in the countryside around 25 kilomètres to the south of Angoulême.
Visit the Château de la Mercerie
When the brothers Raymond and Alphonse Réthoré arrived here in 1925 at the Manor of Mercerie in Magnac-Lavalette they had the intention to construct a castle and a museum attached to the 19th century manor house that was already on the site.
Construction of the castle began in 1939 with the Salle des Azulejos, parallel to and just behind the manor house and separated from it by a corridor. The construction was suspended during the war but then continued until 1975, finishing with the only facade in France to be classified and to have a length of 220 metres. It is sometimes referred to locally as the small Versailles Charentais.
Alphonse was the self-taught architect for the project and drew the plans and directed the construction. Raymond paid for it with the proceeds of an enterprise he ran that sold industrial washing wachines. Raymond also become maire of Magnac-Lavalette on six occasions, and also translated the writings of Charles de Gaulle into Russian.
After being abandoned for almost 30 years, in 2011 the Chateau de Mercerie began a programme of restoration thanks to the efforts of Didier Jobit, Maire of Magnac-Lavalette-Villars, and the Association of the Château de la Mercerie under Georges Mesnard.
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Château de la Mercerie

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The Château du Bourbet is steeped in history, dating back to the 15th Century and beyond, from its origins as a Templar fortress to its forced occupation by the German Army and partial demolition at the end of the Second World War. Now lovingly renovated, the Château du Bourbet invites you to enjoy some of the very best in chambres d’hôtes and table d’hôtes that the Dordogne has to offer.
http://www.chateaudubourbet.com

Château du Bourbet

The Château d'Angoulême was a castle in the town of Angoulême, in the Charente département of France. The only remaining parts are the keep of Lusignan and the tower of Valois, which are part of the Town Hall of Angoulême, together with a construction of the 19th century.
History
The rocky outcrop which dominates the Charente River and the Anguienne had been a strategical position for a long time. The first fortress on this site was built at the end of the Roman Empire. A rampart protecting a 27 ha area has been maintained until the 13th century. The medieval castle was founded in around 886 by Count Alduin.
From the 10th to the 13th century, the Counts of Angoulême, the Taillifer then the Lusignan, strengthened the fortifications of the town, and enlarged them to include the Saint-Martial quarter.
Important additions to the castle were undertaken by Hugh X of Lusignan in 1226. In 1308, after the death of Guy de Lusignan, the county of Angoulême returned to the French Crown. It was then given to Louis d'Orléans in 1394, and then fell by inheritance to his son Jean de Valois, grandfather of Marguerite d'Angoulême and Francis I.
The duke of Épernon, governor of Angoumois, received Marie de' Medici when she escaped in 1619. After, the castle became the residence of the governors.
In 1840, the town bought the castle to house the Town Hall. The mayor, Paul Joseph Normand de la Tranchade, commissioned the architect Paul Abadie to develop the project, who dismantled a portion of the medieval buildings. The keep and a tower were preserved thanks to the pressure of the Archaeological and Historical Society of Charente.
Description of the castle
The present remains including the polygonal keep, called Tour de Lusignan, the châtelet, and the round Valois Tower date from the 12th to 15th centuries. The polygonal keep was built 1282–1302, and the Valois Tower was built in the late 15th century. During the 15th century, a square pavillon was added to the Tour Marguerite. This pavillon included a polygonal turret containing the staircase.
At the end of the 15th century were constructed star shaped fortifications; two turrets remained in rue Bélat and rue du Sauvage.
The medieval parts of the castle have been listed as monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1929.