The manoir of Eyrignac is a very lovely seventeenth-century example of what, in English, would be called a country house. It lies in the hilly country to the northeast of Sarlat, about 13km by road. Its great glory is its garden, which is remarkable for its special effects and atmosphere (guided tours daily: April & May 10am–12.30pm & 2–7pm; June–Sept 9.30am–7pm; Oct–March 10.30am–12.30pm & 2.30pm to dusk; €6.50; house closed to the public). The original formal garden was the work of an eighteenth-century Italian architect, but it was later converted to an English romantic garden as the owners – still the same family – followed subsequent fashions. What you see today is the work of the last forty years, the creation of the present owner's father in a combination of Italian and French styles. There are practically no flowers: the garden consists of evergreens – mainly box, hornbeam, cypress and yew – clipped and arranged in formal patterns of alleys and parterres. A work of art in its own right, it's now classified as a national monument.
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