Barbençon Castle

Barbençon Castle, locally known as Château de Barbençon, lies in the village of the same name in the province of Hainaut, in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The castle was founded in the late 12th or early 13th century and served as the ancestral seat of the Lords of Barbençon. They were a powerful family, and their descendants held important positions with the Count of Hainaut. In the late 13th century, they also built the castles of Jeumont and Solre-sur-Sambre.

The medieval castle was constructed on a rocky outcrop next to Barbençon Lake, featuring a quadrilateral enclosure with multiple towers. Over the centuries, it grew into a formidable fortress. Probably sometime during the 17th or 18th century, the medieval castle was removed. When or why this happened, I don't know. If you do, please email me. It was replaced by a manor house, with only the medieval ramparts, forming the terrace on which the castle once stood, and its gatehouse remaining.

In the 19th century, the original manor house was replaced by a two-story Napoleonic-era manor house. At the end of that century, a fire caused it to lose a floor.

During the 20th century, the castle gardens were divided into residential lots. The manor house is now a private residence, and the medieval gatehouse was converted into private holiday apartments. Sadly, interior pictures show that nothing medieval remains in the gatehouse.

A curious, somewhat forgotten castle. I like the exterior of the gatehouse; it’s a pity that two residences were built so close in front of it.

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