Château de Seneffe

It was bought by a figurehead assigned by the Depestre family and came back into their possession after the ascent of Napoleon as Emperor of the French in 1804.

The château was sold by Joseph II Depestre's son Honoré in 1837 and bought by the Daminet family.

During these years the castle was severely looted by people who removed and sold valuable interior decoration such as marble fireplaces and carved wainscotings.

[citation needed] The château of Seneffe with its magnificent park and annexes offers a very fine example of a mid-18th-century noble residence.

A wide tree-lined alley starting in the village of Seneffe gives access to the castle and its grounds.

At the end of the alley a wide lawn provides an unhampered view on the broad courtyard (Cour d'honneur) in front of the castle.

The pavilions at the end of each gallery are very elegant buildings decorated with pilasters in the composite order, niches, and pediment-topped doors.

The left pavilion is furnished as the château's chapel and the domed second storey serves here as a lantern providing zenital light to the interior.

The facade of the corps de logis consists of five bays separated by monumental composite pilasters connecting the two main storeys.

The middle bay stands out slightly and is topped by a pediment which contains the coats of arms of Joseph Depestre and his wife flanked by gilded lions.

The central axis of the alley, the courtyard and the middle bay of the corps de logis is continued in the park.

The most important addition from that time is the neoclassical theatre built by the famous French architect Charles de Wailly.

The simple whitewashed building has a stage with a fixed scenery consisting of a gallery in the Tuscan order built as a false perspective.