THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2021


DOMAIN OF CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE CHÂTEAU HISTORIC GROUNDS STABLES


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Château d’Ussé was the inspiration for the fairytale Sleeping Beauty


Constables of France, this jewel of the French Renaissance was owned in the 19th century by the Marquis Octave de Rochebrune, who was celebrated for his etchings. In fact, he produced just shy of 500 of them while living at Terre-Neuve. His artistic fl air must have been catching since, during World War II, the famous French author Georges Simenon lived here, penning several works. The château also reveals superb examples of sculptured stone panelled ceilings and monumental fi replaces. chateau-terreneuve.com


Château de Guédelon (Yonne)


This château is entirely different from all the others featured here in that it hasn’t actually been built yet. Deep in a Burgundy forest, just over 100 miles south of Paris, it’s an architectural and archaeological experiment where all the builders are constructing a genuine 13th-century castle using only medieval tools and methods. No modern cranes or lorries or electric tools on this building site. As far as possible, all the craftsmen and women here both work and look exactly as their ancestors would have 800 years ago. Dressed in woollen smocks, there are quarrymen hewing rocks out of the ground; stonemasons tapping away with their chisels; carpenters hand-sawing trees cut from the local forest by


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lumberjacks; blacksmiths forging the iron tools; tilers digging clay from the ground nearby and fi ring it in ovens; and carthorses transporting all these materials around the site. The whole project aims to rediscover the secrets of medieval architecture and to teach modern builders how to work with traditional tools and materials. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the builders while they toil away, rather like an interactive theme park. Construction on Guédelon started in 1998 and isn’t due to fi nish until 2030 at the earliest. It was set to reopen on May 20. www.guedelon.fr


CHÂTEAUX WITH GARDENS


All French châteaux come with their own gardens, but the following have exteriors arguably more impressive than their interiors. Enjoy strolling through their verdant surroundings as you do your best impression of a decadent French aristocrat.


Domaine de Chaumont-sur- Loire


(Loir-et-Cher)


There are 80 acres of parks and gardens to amble around at this lovely fortress château in Chaumont-sur-Loire, a few kilometres southwest of Blois. A series of curved, sweeping paths allow visitors to enjoy views from every angle, while various species of trees have been


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