Château de Falaise – William the Conqueror’s Castle

William the Conqueror Statue in Chateau Square

On the way home from a visit to Ikea at Caen this week, we stopped off at Falaise to visit the Château de Falaise.

Falaise (meaning “cliff” in French) was the birthplace of William the Conqueror. The castle of Falaise overlooks the town from the high crag that the town is named after, and was the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Normandy.

Access to the interior walled defences of the castle and the battlements is free, but you have to pay to enter the large and small keeps and the Talbot Tower, the round structure that dominates one corner of the site.

There is a well-stocked gift shop with all sorts of medieval toys, models and games – plenty of stuff for kids of all ages.

The entry fee (7.50€ 2011) includes an audioguide that switches on and off automatically as you go from room to room.  We found the commentary and accompanying slideshows rather boring, with pseudo-mystical overtones.  We would have preferred something more punchy that told the history of the architecture of the château, rather than blathering on about William’s supposed dreams and the legends and myths surrounding his conception and his “destiny”.  From our point of view the audioguide for Mayenne Chateau is much better, and its displays more imaginative.

However, the views from the top of the Talbot Tower are spectacular, giving views over the entire town of Falaise and the surrounding countryside.

On the outside, but within the exterior defence walls (still under reconstruction and repair when we were there), it is easy to miss visiting the bastion that is situated behind the Visitor Centre as it is unsignposted.  It appears still to be under reconstruction but is definitely open to visit, and gives some more excellent viewpoints.

If visiting the castle, take a walk outside via the panoramic route – if driving this route there are a couple of parking places along the road.   It gives some great views of the northern and western defensive walls, the tower and keeps way above.  In the valley beneath the castle walls to the north is a cottage and large plaque and frieze marking the spot where William’s peasant mother is supposed to have been “seduced” by his father.

The Plaque and Frieze

Opening Hours

Open every day from 10:00AM to 6:00PM.

Other information

Free parking in the square near the entrance to the Château de Falaise, next to the statue of William the Conqueror, or in the car park under the southern perimeter walls.

The château interior is partly wheelchair accessible thanks to lifts between floors, but not the upper levels of the Talbot Tower.

Tel. +33 (0)2.61.41.61.44

The Castle of Falaise is approx. 80km (50 miles) from our B&B in Lower Normandy

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Carrouges Castle – Château de Carrouges

Château de Carrouges: a Château made from Bricks!

Château de Carrouges

A Brief History of the Château de Carrouges

Carrouges Castle began life as a fortified stronghold (donjon = keep) during the Hundred Years’ War – the keep is seen in the corner of the inner courtyard.

It became a lordly residence in the 15th century for the Blosset family and was extended with the addition of a residential wing next to the keep. In the 16th century the wonderful gatehouse was added, like a château in miniature – this is considered to be the earliest piece of Renaissance architecture in Normandy. Carrouges was refortified during the Wars of Religion with the construction of the west bastion, and finally in the late 16th century two ‘classical’ wings with remarkable staircases were added – see the video for a view of the interior.

The Blosset/de Tillier family owned the château and estate from the end of the 15th century until 1936, when the chateau and much of the furniture was purchased by the State as a historic monument.

A Brief Video of Château de Carrouges

Why Make A Château out of Bricks?

Brickwork Detail

One of the most distinctive features of the Château de Carrouges is the fact that it is largely made of brick.

Brick was chosen to build Carrouges in the 14th century due to the presence of local clay as a raw material and forests all around as a source of fuel for firing the bricks. Far more than just a simple building material, the variations in colour, shape and pattern allowed brick to be used decoratively. At Carrouges, the16th century parts of the castle made full use of this versatility to decorate the facades.

Maison du Parc Normandie Maine

Halfway down the driveway to the château is the Maison du Parc Normandie Maine - this is well worth a visit not only because it has a wealth of information and displays on the regional Parc Normandie-Maine, but also a superb gift shop with all kinds of local produce.

Practical Information

Château de Carrouges

Guided visits of the interior are in French and English and take 45 minutes – last visit 45 minutes before closing.

Open daily from 10h to 12h and 14h to 18h

Closed only on January 1, May 1, November 1, November 11 and December 25

2010 guided tour fee: 7€ for adults, under 18′s free

Maison du Parc Normandie-Maine

May to September Tuesday to Sunday 10h30 to 18h30
Rest of the year Tuesday to Friday 10h to 12h and 14h to 17h

Free entry to the exhibition halls and shop

Access: (route shown is from our B&B on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire).

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Château de Villaines – and an amazing vegetable garden!

Chateâu de Villaines B&B

A delightful 17th century château – but the big attraction is the vegetable garden!

Château de Villaines Bed & Breakfast

We found out about Château de Villaines and its garden when visiting another in the same area called the Manoir de Massonnière – they are only about 16km (10 miles) apart and 65km away from our home near Alençon, so it makes sense to visit both if you are visiting one.

Before visiting Château de Villaines we tried looking for this château and garden on the Internet – unfortunately I could find out nothing about it before we took a chance on visiting it a couple of weeks ago, in mid-July.  Thankfully, it was worth taking the chance!  By strange coincidence, the website for the château has also appeared in Google results in the past week (further details below).

© Chateau de Villaines

Château de Villaines is located between Louplande and Chemiré-le-Gaudin, 15km from Le Mans in the Sarthe department of the Pays de la Loire, France.

The château is built on the foundations of a much older medieval château-fort, of which all that remains is part of the defensive moat on the southern side.  The present buildings date from the early 17th century and the Château de VIllaines is typical of châteaux from that period, oriented with the main facades facing precisely north and south, and being long and slim to allow light to penetrate from windows on both sides, making it very light and airy.

The main buildings comprise the Château itself, the orangery in the north west corner of the garden, and a large pigeonnière to the south-west side where pigeons would once have been kept for eating.

The ground floor is partly open to visitors.  The beautiful wrought iron hall staircase is listed and is part of the original building, as is the dining room panelling.  The panelling in the drawing room was replaced after a fire at the beginning of the 19^th century.

© Chateau de Villaines

Marc and Marie-José Forissier have been the owners since 1997 and are responsible for developing the garden as it appears today.  Before they began work  there was an English landscape garden in front of the house; this has been replaced by a formal French garden with clipped box topiary and lawns.  To the right of the house is a recently planted orchard, to the south the remains a large moat and many newly planted trees.

However, its main feature is an extraordinary “potager en carrés“, a highly formalised and decorative fruit and vegetable garden divided into dozens – if not hundreds – of raised square beds and surrounded by a high wall.  This garden covering 2.5 acres was restored by the present owners and recently featured in Le Figaro magazine and in a new book on this distinctive type of garden.

© Chateau de Villaines

It includes a fine array of peonies, espaliered pear trees and apple trees trained in cordons.  An attractive collection of Old Climbing Roses trail across arches giving the garden height. In 2005 it was awarded the prize for best potager garden in France by the French Horticultural Society (Société Nationale d’Horticulture de France).

The garden is classed as a national “Jardin Remarquable” -  a title it well deserves.

Practical Information

Open all of June, July and September every day from 10h to 12h and 14h to 18h (NB closed in August)

2010 entry fee: 4€

Website: www.chateaudevillaines.fr

Access (route shown is from our B&B on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire).

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Château du Lude, Pays de la Loire

Garden Festival at Château du Lude, near Le Mans

June 5th – 6th 2010, 10h30 to 19h00

Sale of plants, visits to the château, garden workshops and demonstrations, exhibitions of garden and countryside photography and watercolours.

60 stands featuring garden specialists from all over Western France.

Entry: Adults 8€, under 18 free.

Food and drink stalls in the grounds.

Chateau du Lude

Chateau du Lude

Château du Lude, 70 miles south of our B&B, is the nearest of the recognised Loire Valley châteaux.  The chateau at Le Lude is unusual in that it has the appearance of a typical Loire Valley château – plenty of  Renaissance frills and fancy architectural features – but at its heart is a medieval fortress.

Because it had its beginnings as a defensive fortification, it is also unlike most Renaissance châteaux in being built in a defensive position atop a rocky spur, with a lively and attractive town (Le Lude) right outside its perimiter walls.

It is also distinguished in that it has been in the hands of the same family for the last 250 years and it is still a family home – if somewhat larger and more opulent than most!  There is a sense that this is very much a living, breathing home of the old French aristocracy, with its roots deep in history but very much alive and thriving today.

The Château du Lude is built on an outcrop on the banks of the river Loir, which joins the Loire a short distance downstream.  Just as attractive as the château itself are the superb grounds with rose gardens, parterres, water features and park laid out along the riverside.

Practical Information – Château and Grounds

Château du Lude is open daily from April 1 to September 30, except Wednesdays in April, May and September.  The grounds are open  10am till 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm; the chateau interior is open afternoons only.

Getting There

The Château du Lude is south of Le Mans in the Sarthe department of the Pays de la Loire, ten miles west of the A28 motorway Exit 26.

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For accommodation in Pays de la Loire check via our website Normandy Bed and Breakfast

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Visit to Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, Alpes Mancelles, Pays de la Loire

Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, Pays de la Loire

Video Tour of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe

Introduction to Fresnay-sur-Sarthe

If you’ve read other posts on the Visit Normandy-Pays de la Loire blog you’ll realise that we’re on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire, but the character of the towns in the north of the Pays de la Loire is not markedly different from the southern parts of Lower Normandy.  This is true to such an extent that I frequently have to double-check to which region the places I visit belong!

Fresnay-sur-Sarthe (after checking) is in the Pays de la Loire but the architecture is very similar to Alençon, its Normandy neighbour, and they both sit astride the river Sarthe.  Another thing these towns have in common is that if you drive straight through them on the main road, you would think they were nothing special.  Wrong!!  What you have to do each case is to get off the main road and into the old town  – many people fail to do so, but that gives the smart visitor the opportunity to discover something special, off the beaten track.

Fresnay-sur-Sarthe is nowadays regarded as the capital of the Alpes Mancelles and is the home of the tourist office for that region (see related article on St Cenéri-le-Geréi).

History of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe

Fresnay-sur-Sarthe is centred around the remains of its castle and keep, whose vertiginous ramparts look down onto the river Sarthe and afford a wonderful panorama onto the weaving cottages, mill and Creusot bridge which crosses the Sarthe.

In the 6th Century a settlement by the name of Fraxinidum is recorded on the site (meaning the town of the ash trees) and a fortification was first built at Fresnay in 877.

A castle with stone ramparts was subsequently erected on the site in the 10th century under the reign of  Charles le Chauve (“Bald King Charles”).  The castle had an important strategic importance to protect the river crossing at Fresnay.

William the Conqueror twice captured the castle : first in 1063, then again in 1073.  Young “Robert de Bellême”, who made a name for himself during the siege, was proclaimed as a knight by William.

In 1100, Henry the First attempted to unite the Maine and Anjou regions. The castle then became one of a chain of defences designed to protect the Maine against Norman (i.e. at that time Viking) attacks, and the city was placed under the protection of the Vicomte de Beaumont.  The city was at that time called Fresnay-le-Vicomte.  The city finally found a period of peace only at the beginning of the 14th Century.

The strategic importance of the Castle of Fresnay was once again highlighted during the 100 Years War.  Successively occupied by the adventurers of Philippe de la Chèze in 1356 then captured by the British troops of Henry V in 1417, it came back into French hands thanks to Ambroise de Loré, future companion of Joan of Arc.

In 1420 the city was again taken by English and they occupied Fresnay for thirty years.  As if these troubles were not enough, Fresnay-sur-Sarthe also suffered in the Wars of Religion ; in 1652, it was sacked by the Huguenots and from then on the castle started to fall into ruin.

From the Beginning of17th until the end of the 19th century, linen and hemp weaving were  major industries for the town; hemp (“chanvre”) was used for sails.  New housing was created in Fresnay in the “Bourg-Neuf” and the “Creusot” districts.  Some weavers’ cottages still remain on the banks of the Sarthe, just downstream from the former mill at the Creusot Bridge and visible from the castle ramparts.

Practical Information

Tourist Office

19 Av de docteur Riant (near the crossroads in the high town)

Tel. 02 43 33 28 04

http://www.ot-alpes-mancelles.com

The Tourist Office of the Alpes Mancelles at Fresnay-sur-Sarthe can provide you with a route map to explore the old town – the video shows some of the sites along the route.

NB The church Notre Dame is open certain afternoons only from 15h30.

Access to Fresnay-sur-Sarthe from the B&B:

The town is 20 minutes (20km) from our B&B in Lower Normandy

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Interested in châteaux and gardens in Normandy and Pays de la Loire? See also :

Château de Mayenne, Pays de la Loire

Gardens to Visit #1 – Jardin d’Atmosphère du Petit Bordeaux (Pays de la Loire)

Gardens to Visit #2 – Jardins de la Mansonière, St Céneri-le-Gerei (Normandy)

Gardens to Visit #3 – Château de Ballon (Pays de la Loire)

Gardens to Visit #4 – Jardin de la Pellerine (Pays de la Loire)

Gardens to Visit #5 – Château de Vendeuvre (Normandy)

Gardens to Visit #6 – Les Renaudies (Pays de la Loire)

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