Visit to Chenonceau Chateau
We went to see Chenonceau on Wednesday 21st May 2008. The day turned out very nice with lots of sunshine and only a gentle breeze. We had some difficulty navigating to Chenonceau as there was a road closed, possibly due to a new motorway being built, and at least one of the D roads did not seem to take the route indicated on the road map. However, we arrived eventually.
The chateau is quite amazing. It is built in white limestone and retains the Donjon (fortified circular tower) from the earlier castle keep and fortified mill. The base of the mill was retained and the new house built on top, with the kitchens located in the base. When Francois 1 died in 1547, Henry II gave the house to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. She had a bridge built across the river Cher. Henry II met an untimely death in a tournament and his widow, Catherine de Medici, took the castle back from Diane de Poitiers and gave her Chaumont instead. Catherine had a 2 storey gallery built on top of the bridge and used it for lavish court receptions.
View from road entrance View from upstream View from downstream Orangery
Steward's House Donjon Diane's Bedroom Catherine's Bedroom Louis XIV
Edwin with Catherine's garden behind Diane's Garden New kitchen cooker in 1914