La Tour Mailly

Located in Saint-Léger-aux-Bois, the Mailly Tower is a tower with thick walls made of sandstone, brick and flint, with machicolations and a pepperpot roof. It is partly covered by an ivy which gives it the air of being out of time. We notice a pretty little house that has been built on top of it. A historical plaque in English and French is fixed on the brick of the tower. It indicates that a castle was built there in the 16th century by the families of Bailleul and Mailly, lords of Saint-Leger-aux-Bois. The last lord who lived there died in 1794, guillotined during the Revolution and his castle destroyed and burned down. It has three levels with a remarkable stone spiral staircase. The slate roof rests on an imposing traditional oak frame. Marie Stuart, Queen of Scotland, even spent a night there as a prisoner!