A community has existed here since the Stone Age but the Romans were the first to name it as one of their camps. In AD 722, when the procession carrying the remains of St Bonnet travelled from Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand, at least ten habitations en route were given the name of St Bonnet; fortunately with a distinguishing suffix. Our twin town became St Bonnet-le-Chastel and, much later, St Bonnet-le-Château.

The town thrived as a centre of trade and crafts from the early days and the resultant wealth is evident in the many beautiful religious buildings and merchants’ houses which survive in the medieval quarter. The building of the magnificent church, La Collégiale, which dominates the skyline of St Bonnet-le-Château, commenced in 1400 and took a century to complete. The Crypt houses 15th century frescoes, perfectly restored, and the library has volumes from the same period. A vault beneath the church contains the macabre spectacle of thirty “mummies” discovered in 1837 and thought to date from the 16th century. The cause of their fate is unknown but the sight of their remains is not for the fainthearted.

Today St Bonnet-le-Château is a busy centre providing a wide range of services and employment. There are schools, shops of all kinds, restaurants and hotels, a large weekly market and a Mairie (town hall) complete with a Mayor. Industry in St Bonnet-le-Château has included iron-working from the 14th century, when locks were made, through to the 19th century when armaments were produced and currently hunting rifles are made. The main item produced from iron here is the “boule”. The game of pétanque seen in every French village uses boules from St Bonnet-le-Château. The town’s International Museum of Pétanque and Boules, with its purpose-built indoor pétanque terrain and restaurant, gives an insight into this very French obsession.

Over the last two decades, St Bonnet-le-Château, and the surrounding area have invested in developments to attract tourists to the region. There is a municipal campsite, free to residents of Bishop’s Waltham, an artificial lake with pedalos, numerous walking routes and horseriding. There are a choice of restaurants and hotels and a scenic driving route through the area.