DROIT DE SIGNEUR AND OTHER PRIVILEGES

Severac Le Chateau is a town surrounding a huge castle turned palace on a stump of volcanic rock in the middle of a vast valley. The town survives, the castle, its fine rooms and gardens are a ruin. The revolution would be proud. Not that they actually levelled it – time and neglect did the most damage but if ever a chateau represented what La Revolution was about this could be it.

It starts life as a stronghold pf robber barons in the tenth century. Norsemen turned Normans settling down from a life of pillage to a life of villeiny as it were. They get to build a proper castle sometime around 1000 plus and it most definitely commands the countryside. But Normans come and Normans go and sometikme in the 13^th century a Severac comes to hold it. A man of adventure he gets to a Marechal de France but fails to ensure an inheritor; all balls but no balls it would seem. It passes to a scrag end of his family who screw it upo and it finds its way into the hand of clasical French noibility. Who tart it upo a bit. And then some. They builds an astonishing range of rooms ona three-storey basis, angled to catch the sun and centred ona towereed gateway. On end is a baronial hall, the rest – like a mighty ships on the rocks is rooms for family and friends. Mind you, it follow another French poattern we last saw at Chateau D,Onos in Corbieres. Essentially this 200 metres lonbg extravagance is just one room deep. It looks sensational but if built ina conventional form around an atrium or couryards would abe modest in reality. But we doubt the locals saw it that way.

But nobility come and nobility go – mostly in a tumbril around here – and the place falls into ruin sometime in the 18^th century. Ignmofred, plundered and reviled it does not even get historic monument status until 1960 or so. Today it stabilised, ruinous to view and ruinous to suppoirt. But somebody loves it and I have to say it is a cracking castle to visit. Amazing views, fin stone and no one to nag you off the rocks.

Down below is this lovely medieval; town, clutching the apron strings of the bastion above. Fortified, walled, gated – two excellent examples survive – it has escaped the Carcassonne effect but the resultant lack of any significant activity, especially outide the season is sad. Nobody wants the endless souvenir stalls of Carcassonne but a few potteries, artisan craft shops, cafes, epiceries and the like would make the place at least feel alive. But the architecture is wonderful, all towers, and gables, and jetties and pediments and crazy angles. Lovely.