La Réole was an important strategic town on the Garonne. Originally founded around its monastery, the town was considerably strengthened by the construction of a council and strong walls begun by Louis VII of France and completed by Henry II of England. The English continued to invest in the defenses, and the castle was one of the more important retined in English hands during the period of their rule.

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  The medieval town hall. It was here that the commercial and administration of the town took place, with an open area for a market below.
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  The medieval town hall. It was here that the commercial and administration of the town took place, with an open area for a market below.
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  The apse of the choir of the abbey around which the town grew. The building is now oddly truncated, the result of the demolition of the nave after it was used as a location to bombard the neighbouring ducal castle in the 1240s.
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  The apse of the choir of the abbey around which the town grew. The building is now oddly truncated, the result of the demolition of the nave after it was used as a location to bombard the neighbouring ducal castle in the 1240s.
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  The castle from the southwest showing the cylindrical towers not unlike those built by Edward I for several of his Welsh castles in the late thirteenth century.
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  The castle from the southwest showing the cylindrical towers not unlike those built by Edward I for several of his Welsh castles in the late thirteenth century.