When visiting Chateau de Valençay it is
worth making the trip (10km) to nearby,small but perfectly
formed, chateau de Bouges an elegant castle set in landscaped grounds. Your approach is via a
2km avenue lined by lime and chestnut trees.
Built in 1759, the symmetrical building,
is said to have been modelled on the
Petit
Trianon in Versailles. Unlike a lot of the Loire Valley
chateau this little beauty is well furnished and has
actually got a lived in feel to it, even though it is
not in fact occupied. Not all of the rooms are open to the
public but there are enough to give you a feel for how it
must have been at its glorious best.
It was once owned by
Talleyrand
before he moved to the grandeur of Chateau de Valençay.
He in turn gifted it to his niece who
became Duchess of Dino. It then changed hands a number of
times before its last owner,
Henry Viguier, a Parisian
businessman, bought it in 1917. He
and his wife Renée
lived in and lavished attention on the house. They undertook
its modernization, reviving the castle by adding wood
panelling and tastefully redecorated and
refurnishing the chateau with
antique furniture.
Viguier, a keen
horseman, also renovated the stable blocks where you can now
view tack rooms and horse-drawn carts.
In 1968 the property
was given to the state in all its splendour and is now there
to be appreciated by all.
There is a formal
French style
garden to view plus a well planted 80 hectare
park.
