Fanson Castle, Medieval castle in Xhoris, Belgium

Fanson Castle is a large pale-stone building in Xhoris, Ferrières, with a long grey roof and three conical-roofed turrets rising above the roofline: one on each side wing and one at the centre. Its current facade was built in 1764, and the château stands within a domain of woods, meadows, parks and ponds.

The seigneurie of Fanson is documented from the Middle Ages, when the castle consisted of a keep surrounded by moats. It belonged for decades to the de Sélys-Fanson family and was enlarged in the 17th and 18th centuries, with several courtyards added; five remain today. The moats were converted into ponds in the 18th century and the present facade was built in 1764.

The name Fanson comes from the seigneurie held for decades by the de Sélys-Fanson family, and the estate was a franc-alleu, free of feudal dues, until 1977. The castle and its immediate surroundings have been listed as protected heritage since 1971. The hamlet east of the castle along the N.86, also called Awan-Fanson or le Plat d'Awan, belongs to the municipality of Aywaille, not Ferrières.

Access to the castle and its estate is forbidden to the public. The grounds lie in the Boé valley at the northern end of Ferrières, on the edge of the schist Famenne and the limestone Calestienne, near the N.86 between Aywaille and Marche-en-Famenne. The building can be seen from outside the property among woods, meadows and ponds.

The castle stands at the northern tip of Ferrières, on the boundary with Hamoir, Comblain-au-Pont and Aywaille, where the shale Famenne meets the limestone Calestienne. Its moats were turned into ponds in the 18th century, and the estate was a franc-alleu until 1977.