Tuesday 27 April 2021

Chateau de Bouferre

The Chateau de Bouférré, near Le Grand Pressigny, was badly damaged by fire in May 2016. About 50 firefighters attended, but the building was left a shell. After several hours of wrestling with the blaze they were unable to save the roof, or the interior. They did their best to make sure the facade was at minimum risk by clearing out anything they thought could smoulder and rekindle the fire at the end. 

Chateau de Bouferre, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Outbuildings.

The site itself has been named and inhabited for at least a thousand years, with the name being spelt about a dozen different ways, from Bouc-ferré to Buphferret.  The current building is late 18th century to early 19th and the property is run as a B&B (chambres d'hotes), with 46 hectares of woodland including hundred year old trees in the park near the house. Their blurb says that deer are regularly seen in the park 'pointing their antlers at the dwelling'.

Chateau de Bouferre, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Outbuildings.

Situated two kilometers from Le Grand-Pressigny, in the valley of the Claise, just off the road to Descartes, it is a country house with a pointy bell tower, a slate roof and a white facade overlooking the Claise Valley (or it would do if there weren't trees in the way). This house, so advantageously situated, is the main house of one of the oldest aristocratic seats of the region. The chateau itself is relatively recent and its outbuildings, including its vast square dovecote are modern.

La Poterie, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
La Poterie.

Before these recent buildings there was an ancient manoir, now completely gone. Up the hill from them and once part of the estate is La Poterie, now a farm, and below them, near the confluence of the Brignon and the Claise, there was once a fortified mill.


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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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UPDATE -- RESPONSE TO COMENTS: 
Jean -- a fire like that ust be a terrible shock.
Gaynor -- you don't notice the chateau because of all the trees.

2 comments:

GaynorB said...

Interesting. I've never noticed this chateau.

Jean said...

I remember that fire happening, what a tragedy.
There are so many fine houses in the area and I'm enjoying reading about them, especially the ones that I never knew were there!

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