Tour de l'Épaule, a tower in Gallardon (Eure-et-Loir)

The Tour de l'Épaule is a ruined circular keep in Gallardon, built of meulière stone in the early 12th century. Its surviving masonry crown rises 38 m, with walls 4.50 m thick and an external diameter of 18 m. The ruin retains a large section of rubble-core walling, some dressed stone and machicolations.

The circular keep was built in the early 12th century as the watchtower and guard lodging of a medieval stronghold at Gallardon. In 1443, during the Hundred Years' War, Jean de Dunois, Count of Dunois, retook the castle from the English and had it destroyed. Bombard fire brought down most of the walls and the tower was mined. It was classified as a monument historique in 1913.

The tower's name refers to its shoulder-like shape and structure. The ruin still displays the thick stone walls and round construction typical of medieval defensive buildings.

The ruin stands on the commune of Gallardon in Eure-et-Loir, classified as a monument historique since 1913. Only a 38 m-high fragment of the crown remains, so the visit is a short stop; the site gives no interior layout to explore. The surviving masonry, 4.50 m thick with an 18 m outer diameter, is best read from outside.

The mine that brought the tower down was laid in 1443, when Jean de Dunois, Count of Dunois, retook the castle from the English and had it demolished. Bombard fire had already knocked down most of the walls before the tower was undermined.