1930s refurbishment and again in the 1990s. In the grounds are some Stone Age cave dwellings, at the base of sandstone cliffs, in woodland close by the river Bruant. Prehistoric finds from the site are housed in the keep museum. Owners Pierre Loti (1850–1923) spent holidays with his sister in the Saintonge region. On his excursions, he the Château de la Rochecourbon'', in an abandoned and ruined state, overgrown with brushwood. Benefiting from his fame, Pierre Loti brought the château to notice by calling it the "sleeping beauty of the forest" and launched a public appeal to save it and its forest. Paul Chénereau (1869–1967), a local man, bought the château and restored it to its former splendour. References External links The château website Site of the French Committee of Parks and Gardens Photograph Roche-Courbon Gardens in Charente-Maritime Museums in Charente-Maritime Historic house museums in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Monuments historiques of Nouvelle-Aquitaine