Limousin, Corrèze, Beyssac, France

Close to the bustling village of Pompadour, you will find this wonderful 14th century Château, said to have been given by Louis XV to his favourite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, sits in a peaceful, private setting surrounded by 2.8 hectares of pasture and woodland. 
An historic fortified château, it shows traces of occupation dating from the 11th century. The wing was probably updated around the 16th century.
Stone-built, with original oak and chestnut timbering, it has been lovingly and authentically restored by master craftsmen to its former beauty, yet possesses all modern amenities.  It has been successfully used as a comfortable, manageable family home (11 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms) but would work as a rental or function facility.  The converted grenier (12m x 8m) has been used for concerts and there is a sizeable galleried barn which doubles as a wet-weather sports/play area.  The purchaser of the château will be offered the option of acquiring the entire contents of the estate, including the antique furniture and fittings, and could therefore move in straight away.
Nearby you will find a delightful 3-bedroom cottage, a traditional bread-oven, two fishing lakes stocked with mirror carp, a fresh-water source, and a swimming pool with spacious changing/shower room, and storage facilities - which could be used as a summer kitchen. The pool system uses salt rather than chlorine and the liner is new.
The Corrèze is a lovely land of rolling hills and valleys, pretty villages, numerous lakes, nature parks, forests and meadows and, although it neighbours the Dordogne, its beauty is still one of France's best-kept secrets. This stunning château is definitely well worth a visit.
Approached through the entrance gates, stone steps lead to the central spiral staircase and the original heart of the château - an impressive, high-ceilinged, massively-beamed room which covers the whole ground floor and still has its traditional pisé floor and enormous fireplace. The windows and doors are all beautiful stained-glass, and a doorway leads into the bottom of the round tower which could be a small library/playroom. Another short flight of stairs leads to a fully-equipped kitchen and breakfast room with doors to the garden. 
Further up the spiral staircase are two huge, beautifully-decorated bedrooms both with en-suite bathrooms - one of which is situated in the round tower - and a suite of two bedrooms sharing a bath/shower room. On the third floor is a family bedroom with en-suite bathroom, then at the very top of the stairs, a magnificent grenier with a fantastic original timber ceiling, resembling an upside-down boat. The grenier covers the whole area of this older part of the château and makes an excellent music or home-cinema venue. A small bedroom, at the top of the square tower, leads off the grenier with a door to a roof terrace overlooking the courtyard. Accessed from the courtyard below are the utility and boiler rooms.
On the other side of the arched entrance is what may have been the guard room, which is entered through a door in a fine brick and glazed partition. The wooden plaque above the fireplace commemorates a former occupant who was the King’s commensal when the château was used as a base for wolf-hunting in the 18th century. The floors of this and the next room are covered with antique tiles. From here, the wing - at right angles to the main building, and forming the second side of the courtyard - has a solid wooden staircase leading to two ensuite bedrooms and, on the ground floor, a pretty salon with cooking facilities concealed in cupboards and a further bedroom with separate shower and washroom - all these rooms have doors onto the courtyard. A concealed door leads down to a large cave with a high, vaulted ceiling, which could potentially be converted into an interesting room or used as a wine cellar again.
The third side of the courtyard is a large converted barn with a huge tiled room on the ground floor, currently used as a games room, galleried first floor with seating and a spacious family bedroom with ensuite bathroom. On the ground floor is a fitted kitchen and washroom and another bedroom with traces of an earlier building. There are lovely views over the lake with its water-lilies, fish and frogs.
The local town, Arnac-Pompadour, (5 minutes’ drive away) with its large château, racecourse and international equestrian events, shops, restaurants, medical centre, schools etc. has most facilities.
The A20 is 20 minutes away by car and there are airports at Limoges (1hr 10mins) and Brive la Gaillarde (45 mins). Trains to Paris take only 4 hours from Uzerche (20 minutes away)