A week in Provence...Monday's chateau - Chateau du Barroux

We are down in Provence at the moment so I propose bringing you  'A week in Provence' starting with Monday's chateau featuring Chateau du Barroux (above).

Le Barroux is a relatively small village in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. When it was built originally in the 12th century, the castle was a powerful keep, surrounded by thick walls  protecting the surrounding plains against potential invaders.

At its prime when under the control of the 'Avignon Papacy' the castle rivalled any royal palace at the time.

Unfortunately history would not be kind to the castle as it was plundered during the Revolution, many of the stones from its walls were sold the during the 19th century and used to build the surrounding houses. It also sustained further damage by the Germans during WWII. More fortunately in 1993 the 'Association des Amis du Chateau du Barroux' was formed to preserve what is left of the castle for future generations to appreciate.

Monday's chateau - Chateau de Bridore

Monday's chateau in Centre-Val de Loire - the medieval fortress of Chateau de Bridore with its 30 mtr high keep can be found 16km southeast of Loches in Southern Touraine.

Monday's chateau - Chateau de Bridore

For this Monday's chateau in Centre-Val de Loire we feature the medieval fortress of Chateau de Bridore with its 30 mtr high keep. The castle sits 16km southeast of Loches in Southern Touraine. This year they have their first ever jousting competition in June (18th &19th)

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Monday's chateau - Chateau de Blois

 

Monday's chateau...The Louis XII wing of Chateau de Blois.

Monday's chateau...Valencay

 

Monday's chateau - today we visit Chateau de Valencay the furthest south of the mighty chateau of the region in the former province of Berry,now Indre .

Monday's chateau - Champigny-sur-Veude - the chateau that is not a chateau!

The current Chateau de Champigny-sur-Veude is in fact the former gatehouse and stables of what was once a grand chateau. The original chateau was built by the Bourbon-Vendôme dynasty at the end of the 15th, beginning of the 16th centuries, along with the beautiful 'Sainte-Chapelle St Louis' . Under the ownership of Gaston d'Orléans the third son of Henri IV and Marie de Medici, it was sold to Cardinal Richelieu' He acquired it for the sole purpose of razing it.apparently out of jealousy and to provide materials for his own grand design of a chateau only 7 kms away, on the outskirts of his new 'model' town bearing his name. Sadly or perhaps the result of karma this too has been lost to us courtesy of the French Revolution. 

The property was eventually returned to the descendants of Gaston d'Orléans and under the stewardship of Anne Marie Louise of Orleans who transformed the stables of the west wing to transforming them into comfortable accommodation.She had the ceilings removed to give height to the reception rooms and large windows were opened up to allow the building to flood with light.

 She had a beautiful monumental white stone staircase was built to lead to the rooms along with some heavily adorned fireplaces.

The current American owners open it to the public from May until September - you can check here for opening times.

Monday's Loire Valley chateau - Chateau de Cande and the man who would not be king.

 

Today we revisit Chateau de Cande, which has its own unique fairytale look, the chateau will not be on most Loire Valley visitor's 'must see' list but I think that, for British and American visitors especially, it should be! I say this because whereas the wonderful Chateaux de Loire will forever be linked with the French Royals and their colourful history, here we have an important link to to the history of the British Royal family and a scenario that was to change its course forever. For one thing Colin Firth would never have won his Oscar ('The king's speech') but more importantly Britain would have missed the influence of its 'Queen Mother' and 'Elizabeth II'. The event which was to change the country's history was that of the marriage of Edward, Prince of Wales to the American divorcee Wallis Simpson on June 3rd 1937.Wallis Simpson came here to escape the harassment of the press who were making life very uncomfortable for her where she was staying with friends in Cannes.Her friends were also friends of Fern Bedaux the wife of the owner Chateau de Cande . Her husband a rich American industrialist had bought the chateau 10 years earlier. Fern gave over her apartments here so as Wallis could get some peace.

As soon as you walk through the front portal you are met with the grandeur one would expect of any grand chateau of the Loire Valley but this is different in that it was neither built by, or used by, royalty. 'The man who would not be king' Edward , Prince of Wales would be the closest it would get. 

The main reception room of the chateau is referred to as the 'Red Sitting Room' reflecting the red silk fabric adorning its walls.It has a ceiling more reminiscent of a Tudor castle than a French chateau.

The dining room is quite dark due to its dark panelled and leather lined walls It was in this room the Windsors' buffet would have been laid out. Certainly large enough to cope with the sixteen people sent by the English court as representatives.

It has a rather splendid fire place and ceiling.

The library of the chateau is delightful and it is here that the mayor of nearby Monts performed the civil part of the wedding to conform to the laws of the country. The religious ceremony was performed in the 'music room' of the chateau.

On one of the panels to the right of the fireplace is engraved with the words 'Ed was here' - only joking it is in fact the signatures of  Edward & Wallis.

At the opposite end of the room there is an American made 'Skinner' organ one of only twenty left in the world and one of only three in working order. Interestingly the organ, with its 1,878 pipes, was classified as Monument Historique by the French government in 1993.

The bedrooms are as you'd expect but the bathrooms on show (two of the eight) are a surprise...

beautifully tiled with coloured glass mosaics.

Off one of the bedrooms there is a charming spiral staircase leading to a roof terrace which is unfortunately out of bounds- would have loved to have seen that.

The dressing room has a display of outfits from major designers of the time plus there's a small selection from  Wallis' wardrobe. Her panther jewels from Cartier are on display, her painted luggage,elegant handbags, and some of the gowns made for her. 

It is interesting to see she had a little crown designed into her bags - perhaps in anticipation (wrongly) of becoming 'royal'

  Last but not least we have the 'Music room' where the couple were married in a religious ceremony.

A copy of the dress Wallis wore is on display beside a copy of the Cecile Beaton photograph marking the occasion - in which Wallis looks decidedly unhappy.

To visit the chateau is to step back in time and sample a little piece of its history.

Monday's Loire Valley chateau...Chateau de Villandry

Chateau de Villandry is is famous for its beautiful gardens and it's what draws us back for a visit year after year. We try and visit the gardens at different times of the year as they change with seasonal planing, with springtime probably our favourite. Gardens aside, over time we have also come to appreciate the delights of the chateau itself something we have in the past tended to promote less than the gardens,which can be visited alone.

The interior should be part of you visit as it is beautifully furnished...

and contains some unique features like the ceiling of the oriental drawing room.

One of the major benefits of a visit inside is the climb to the top of the tower where the best views over the gardens are to be had.

It is worth noting that during their winter season (6/11/17 to 31/03/18) they offer reduced rates of : chateau and gardens : 8.5 euros and gardens only : 4.5 euros

Monday's chateau - Chateau de Vernueil-sur-Indre.

 

Today we feature a chateau that intrigued us for a while as we only ever caught site of it a the rare occasion we passed through the small village that it takes its name from - Vernueil-sur-Indre. Coming from the south your first glimpse is of the 15th century part of the chateau with its round tower crowned with machicolations.

Then as you drive through the village its 18th century part reveals itself from behind its walled garden. When we first spotted the chateau it was being used as a horticultural college which must have been interesting for its students but the practicalities of maintaining such a property saw its use as school cease in 2015. Since then a new use for the chateau and its grounds has been sought and we believe that since 2018 it has been going through work to restore it as a tourist site plus accommodation.

Photo credit: Michel Fournier - Under Creative Commons license

Monday's chateau in Centre-Valde Loire - Chateau de Boussay

This private chateau which sits on the edge of the small village of Boussay in Southern Touraine has its origins in the 11^th century. The current chateau with its 15 the century tower and its 17^th / 18th century heart and wings does not make for such a harmonious ensemble, yet sits well within its moats as an original homage to change and at the same time stability, as since 1342, it has been owned by the same family. Although private, visitors can stroll freely around the grounds that surround the chateau.

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Monday's Loire Valley chateau - Chateau d'Amboise

Today we feature the imposing Chateau d'Amboise sitting on the banks of the mighty river Loire.

The chateau has a rich history with links to many of the French royals plus of course its Leonardo de Vinci connection. 

You can read more here on our web page for the chateau.