Thursday 22 October 2020

Chateau de Valencay, Antran

Dovecote, Chateau de Valencay, Antran, Vienne, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
17th century dovecote.

 

This isn't the famous Chateau of Valençay in Berry that belonged to Talleyrand. This is the Chateau of Valençay near Antran in Vienne.

Chateau de Valencay, Antran, Vienne, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The chateau is built on a natural mound and was used for military purposes until 1944. It belongs to the type of 15th century military architecture with machicolations, battlements, and a moat. Only the windows have been altered, enlarged in the 17th century and the rear has been redesigned. Square in plan, the chateau is flanked by four round towers. It is built on round-arched vaulted cellars built on a network of galleries. Its eastern side is occupied by a 33 metre deep well. The first floor comprises three rooms, in one of which are monumental tapestries from the 17th-18th centuries which came from the chateau of Richelieu. The tower adjacent to the living room is topped by a vaulted dome. To the south-east of the chateau are the 17th century outbuildings. The dovecote dates from the same period.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

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2 comments:

Carolyn said...

I'm really enjoying your recent posts. You two find so many gems that I'm sure aren't in any guidebook. These posts show some of the variety of architecture that I think is the main reason we keep coming back to France. There's always something more for the visitor (or apparently even the residents) to discover.

Susan said...

Many thanks. It's one of the few safe activities we can pursue at the moment.

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