The little known Chateau of Candé, at Monts on the outskirts of Tours, is full of delightful architectural details.
Tile panel depicting Saint Martin, over the front door.
The 16th century ceiling in the dining room.
16th century Cordovan leather wall covering in the dining room.
An elegant portrait of Fern Lombard Bedaux c1930.
American born Fern Lombard moved to the Chateau of Candé in 1927 when her French born husband Charles Bedaux purchased it and returned to France from America where he had established himself as a business consultant. Fern regularly made the list of the ten best dressed women in the world between the Wars. Widowed in 1944, she left the chateau to the French State when she died in 1972.
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6 comments:
And then there's that wonderful bathroom. You've probably written previously about how much restoration work had to be done, but I've forgotten. Was it extensive?
The City of Tours sat on the property for decades before getting seriously underway with restorations about 10 years ago. The bathroom, which was damaged in an explosion, was one of the earliest projects. The lastest work was a new roof.
That 16th century Cordovan leather is fabulous. Not so much the enamel panel over the front door, in my opinion!
Both very much of their time of course.
I had the good fortune to spend two nights in the chateau in 1971. It is the grandest place I have ever laid my head. My aunt and uncle were friends of Madame Bedaux, a lovely hostess who served afternoon tea (Twinings Prince of Wales) in the sitting room and sumptuous dinners in the dining room. She was also a warm, down-to-earth woman. She and Monsieur Bedaux had spent a year traveling around the world while the chateau was restored.
An interesting story. Charles Bedaux would have been long dead in 1971, and Fern Bedaux not living much (if at all) at the chateau at that time. It was more or less unoccupied from the 1950s is my understanding. Fern and Charles certainly did travel a lot, and she continued to do so after his death.
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