I've spent two hours this morning enjoying photos of a place Walt and I visited with friends from California in October 2004. That was right about the time I started blogging. The place where we spent an afternoon is the Château de Bouges (not to be confused with the city of Bourges), just south of Valençay and its famous château. The village, pop. 260, is called Bouges-le-Château. It's about 25 miles south of Saint-Aignan. The Cadogan Loire guidebook says that what you'll find at the Château de Bouges is "pure elegance" and that it is a "simple classical rectangle" that is sometimes compared to the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
After describing the Château de Bouges as a pavillon champêtre and une élégante folie, Wikipédia says the château was built in 1765, by an unknown architect, for a man named Claude Charles François Leblanc de Marnaval. He was the maître de forges et directeur de la Manufacture royale de draps de Châteauroux, a big town just 20 miles south. The château is known for its gardens, greenhouses, and beautiful flowers.
Oh, the photo with the reflection is just lovely :)
ReplyDeleteSheer elegance is exactly right. In le Petit Trianon there are only five windows but with more space between them. The Louis XVI style is dépouillé, back to basics.
ReplyDeleteYes, reminds me of Petit Trianon. It is grand without being overwhelming. Looks like Petit Trianon was built only 7 years earlier.
ReplyDelete