Perreux

Perreux stands on a hill overlooking the Loire and the Roannais plain. Its castle was an outpost of the lords of Beaujeu facing the counts of Forez across the river. The great tower, raised in the eleventh century, guarded a fortified settlement whose position made it valuable in their disputes. War damaged the castle, and Pierre de Beaujeu undertook its restoration in 1494. The tower remains a reminder of this contested frontier.