French resident finds château at end of his garden

Florent Cornaton, who lives in the historic village of Treignac, was cutting down some overgrown vegetation at the end of his garden when he realised the greenery was covering up a very old wall.

He continued to investigate, eventually uncovering evidence of battlements, arrow holes, and what he called “a very beautiful building”.

The château remains have been dated to about the year 1000. Historical documents show evidence of a building on the site, despite it being covered and forgotten about for centuries.

Daniel Borzeix, a local historian and editor of a book about the château, said: “We believed that [the château] did exist, but we were never able to verify it.”

Speaking of the importance of the discovery to the local area, Mr Borzeix said: “What is important, is that people are going to be able to own this heritage. When you speak about châteaux to children or adults, it always makes them dream.”

Now, Mr Cornaton and local history lovers are working on raising the remains from the mud, to make it a real historical destination.

An exterior wall and a tower are so far visible.