It will be restored by donations.
On December 20, the Heritage Foundation announced in a press release that the Henri IV tower, the only remains of Montagu castle, in Marcoussis, will benefit from aid of 77,000 euros.
The operation is part of the Loto du patrimoine, a selection of 100 projects by the Heritage Mission, represented by Stéphane Bern.
Only the tottering tower will be renovated for the time being.
The work, which will last six to nine months, will take place in 2022.
“These 77,000 euros correspond to what we hoped for, rejoices Patrick Bourgueil, president of the Historical Association of Marcoussis (AHM), joined this Saturday.
They will make it possible to consolidate the tower and secure it because there are tears on its facade, stones risk falling ”.
A staircase will be created
The renovation consists above all in keeping the tower upright, but also in recreating a staircase giving access to its different levels.
“It will be an external staircase, as there was an internal staircase at the time,” explains Patrick Bourgueil.
The Henri IV tower, also called the “oubliettes tower”, 17 m high, had been suspended since the dismantling of the castle at the beginning of the 19th century. In the 1990s, the AHM sheltered it from the elements to protect it. This does not prevent its disintegration. The association has therefore registered for the Heritage Loto three years in a row in the hope of obtaining a subsidy. This time it's the right one.
The site includes the consolidation of the masonry, the installation of waterproofing cover, frame, lead roof, lightning rod as well as the installation of doors and window frames.
The first stone of the complete restoration of the castle, whose ramparts will be consolidated one by one, "crystallized, according to the architects", specifies Patrick Bourgueil.
Which recalls that an online jackpot aims to collect 80,000 euros by September 2023, in order to participate in the 2,361,071 euros of renovation work on the castle of Montagu.
Almost 10,000 euros have already been raised.
