The front façade and main entrance.Cheverny was built in the seventeenth century by the same family whose descendants live there now. They've restored the ground floor and part of the first floor and opened them to the public. The owners lived in these restored parts until 1985.
The side of the building.I think that their private living space is up on the second floor (American third), where they likely have all the modern conveniences, including a modern kitchen. The old kitchens would be in the basement and they are not open to the public.
As you can see in the photo above, the château is only two rooms deep, making it a very narrow building, and it's perfectly symmetrical in its design.
The rear façade seen from the formal garden.The rear garden is relatively new. It was built just a few years ago by a group of apprentice gardeners and a television show was made about the process. It was cool to see it in person.
We made a quick bee-line for the château's entrance to get inside before the group did.
All my gardening life I'd heard that the British were the best gardeners, but from what I've seen, the French are not far behind. I can't see what's what in your photo of the formal garden, but there's plenty of green there--in early April.
ReplyDeleteMarkinspike Hall, the residence of Captain Haddock in the Tintin comic books, is based on Cheverny.
ReplyDeletehref "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinspike_Hall"
This is one of the best known little know facts I know
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinspike_Hall
ReplyDeleteI WILL get it right!
louise, both cultures excel in gardening, but the styles are very different. English gardens strive to evoke natural settings while French gardens tend to reflect man's ability to control and shape nature.
ReplyDeletesimon, I didn't know that! Maybe that explains the Tintin museum at the château...