Château de Cher-du-Prat sits on the outskirts of Guéret, in the Creuse, France. This pretty bourgeois building sits in a 7.5 hectare park close to a sports stadium and a business park.
Château de Cher-du-Prat translates to “Castle at Meadow of Dear” in Catalan; a language traditionally spoken in Spain and the French Pyrenees.
Château de Cher-du-Prat History
Château de Cher-du-Prat is a 400 square meter Château that now stands in 7,500 square meters of park. It has been divided in two T5 apartments.
For decades it was used as a municipal building for city employees.
It stood empty and neglected for a while as the council struggled to find a suitable buyer. In March 2017, it sold for approximately 243,000 euros. At the time, renovation fees were estimated to be well over 100,000 euros. Which is still a bargain!
Laroche Family
It was once the home of the Laroche Family. Paul Laroche, was mayor of Guéret from March 4, 1878 to February 21, 1886.
François Laroche; like many of his ancestors; was magistrate, president of the court of Bellac, in Haute-Vienne and for 30 years president of Guéret.
Louis Laroche was born on September 2, 1829 in Guéret. He studied at the Municipal College before going to the School of Saint-Cyr.
When he school, he enrolled in the Chasseurs d’Afrique, in Algeria and in 1856. Louis took part in the Crimean campaign with this regiment, then again Italy. At the age of 34, he became a captain in the Chasseurs de la Garde and left the army after he got married.
Louis Laroche returned to service with the 19th Regiment of Cuirassiers when the war of 1870 broke out.
Louis Laroche breed horses specifically for the army, for use in the Creuse. He participated in the Cantonal juries which select the prime female horses: brood-mares and fillies. With the approval of the General Council, he constructed a new race-course at Charsat, near Guéret and founded the Société des Courses which he chaired until his death on February 21, 1915.
Louis Laroche’s Death
Until Louis died in 1898 he was general secretary of the Society of Natural and Archaeological Sciences of Creuse. Henri des Cheises from the society paid homage to him at his funeral. Louis’s widow and son donated weapons, decorations, furniture and other personal belongings to the Guéret museum.
On March 27, 1917, Louis’s widow sold the city of Guéret the entire property of Cher-du-Prat (37 hectares) including Château de Cher-du-Prat and its park, the stables, sheds and outbuildings, the farmer’s house and the agricultural buildings, the gardens, meadows, land and pastures.
The grounds were divided up and parts were sold off. The grounds were used to build the Léo-Lagrange stadium, the municipal technical center in 1989, a stud farm and insemination center (which disappeared in 1988). Next Château de Cher-du-Prat is a business park that bears the name Cher-du-Prat.
Louis Laroche Biographies
Louis Laroche wrote two Biographies.
Madame Quatremère, was born Anne-Charlotte Bourjot. She was famous for her charitable works during the French Revolution (1789 -1799). It was published in 1901.
Louise d’Orléans. The Queen of the Belgians. It was published in 1902.
He also published a historical essay, “Fleurs sèches d’Espagne” – “Dried Flowers of Spain” in 1905.
Roger Magnard
In the 1930’s Château de Cher-du-Prat was occupied by Roger Magnard, founding president of the “Editions Magnard“, range of school books. They created many titles including “Devoirs de Vacances” – Holiday homework.
Old Post Cards
YouTube
Co-Ordinates
| System | Datum | X Coordinate | Y-coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longitude latitude | WGS84 | 46° 11′ 5.977267″N | 1° 52′ 30.226572″E |
| Longitude latitude | WGS84 | 46.1850456807058 | 1.87506293666758 |
| UTM coordinates | WGS84 | 31T 413184.493 5115216.906 | |
| MGRS / UTMREF | WGS84 | 31TDM 13184.493 15216.906 | |
| NAC (Natural Area Coding) | WGS84 | H4NLVQ QNWQG4 | |
| W3W (What 3 Words) | English | regrettable.anticipation.mailbox | |
| W3W (What 3 Words) | French | habillant.rencontrons.acquérir | |
| Plus Code (google Open Location Code) | 8FR35VPG+22 | ||
| WSG84 Web Mercator | EPSG 3857 | Château de Cher-du-Prat, Stade Municipal Léo Lagrange, Rue Jean Bussière, Guéret, Creuse, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France métropolitaine, 23000, France |
Map
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