Château de Vendeuvre
Vendeuvre was built between 1750 and 1752 from the plans of architect Jacques-François Blondel and is a great example of a country house (maison de campagne) of the eighteenth century.
Its owner, Alexandre Le Forestier, ‘'seigneur’' of Vendeuvre, coming from a Cotentin family that claimed descent from the Counts of Flanders, wanted a modern summer retreat built in the style of the day.
The old manor-house was demolished, as it was damp (it was closer to the Dives river banks than the present building) and built partially into the hillside slope.
Following the completion of the interior renovation, the park's restoration followed in 1970, using the original 1813 plans as a basis for the garden's classic French style.
There are many curiosities too: a chandelier with real goldfish in a bowl, a travelling enema kit and a ‘'voyeuse’', a chair with a padded elbow-rest upon which elegant ladies would kneel or sit whilst playing indoor games, so as not to crumple the arrangement of their dresses over wide panniers.
Copper and tin vessels of all shapes and sizes, with old earthenware and faience containers, give the impression that this beautifully arranged kitchen could still be used.
Small dogs and cats were the object of much care and attention, as testified by the refinement and variety of sumptuous places in which they lived, slept and travelled.
The cat's bed, in the photograph opposite, is à la polonaise with a dais and drawn-up curtains, and was made for one of the daughters of Louis XV of France for her pet.
These small ‘pet-dwellings’ are extremely rare and unusual reminders of times past, when pets were often looked after better than the workers of the estate.
The formal gardens that have been created by the present Count of Vendeuvre, have a strictly symmetrical classical lay-out of closely clipped scrolling designs set against gravel reserves, and borders and box hedges set in lawns, with a formal water beyond, flanked by pollarded lime trees (lindens), against a background of mature woodlands.
An essential part of the château during the 18th – 20th centuries, providing much home-grown food, the so-called practical gardens include: During the Renaissance, mankind became fascinated by hydraulic mechanisms.
To add a further dimension to their parks and gardens, artificial devices to imitate nature have found their place, most notably in the form of fountains.
Since earliest times, trees have been the object of worship, perhaps because their roots attain the underground depths and their branches symbolize the aspiration of ascension towards the sky.
On his awakening, the gardener tried the fountain's water whilst praying that the Muses would grant him the four gifts necessary to his profession: technique, good taste, poetry and art.
In Central America, according to an ancient legend, the rain god Chaac had fallen under the charms of a beautiful goddess and forsaken the land.
According to Greco-Roman mythology, a young nymph, followed by the god Pan, took refuge in the cave, taking on the form of a fountain of pure water.
The letters spelt the word “SERENITY” Chinese legend has it that a very beautiful girl named Yin never tired of looking at her own reflection in the water whenever she took a walk across the red bridge.
