The Château de Breteuil in Choisel, exteriors !!!

Posted in France, Versailles

We were on our local road warrior mode a while back in my woody little Choisel, briefly do not know why did not go in more,but this is a huge park with many nice properties to be back for more, This is a property with lots of history and great gardens, still off the beaten path and worth the detour, me think, I just touch base, and happy to have found me more better pictures in my cd rom vault that have updated this post with exterior shots for you and me. For reference, the town of Choisel is in dept 78 of the Yvelines in the Île de France region of my belle France, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Château de Breteuil in Choisel, exteriors !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Choisel is in the Chevreuse valley, on the edge of Essonne (dept 91) ,The Choisel terroir therefore belongs to the lords of Chevreuse since at least the 14C. The main thing and a must to come is the Chateau de  Breteuil built on a hill overlooking the natural regional park of the valley of the Chevreuse or Parc Naturel Régional de la Vallée de Chevreuse. It has been the domain of the Breteuil family since its construction in 1604. The Château de Breteuil presents an architecture of the 17C, comprising a square courtyard, entirely surrounded by walls or constructions and bordered by ditches. On the front, two angle pavilions and a central passage body; At the bottom of the courtyard, throughout the width, a large building whose central body has been preserved. The buildings are with a brick structure and filling under coated. 

Surrounded by a magnificent park of 75 hectares Henri IV, fully restored and richly decorated the castle. The kitchens and offices have been recreated in their original setting Throughout the year, Sundays, public holidays and every day during the school holidays in the Paris region, a storyteller takes children in the world of Charles Perrault. It has botanical curiosities such as a labyrinth and a playground. There is a French style garden there over 400 years with a lake glass of water,and parterres of ifs trees and nicely cut shrubs while the Castle garden are in the English style on one of the lawns looking at the Chevreuse valley or  Vallée de Chevreuse.  There are massive rhododendrons in flower trees in the Spring, for wonderful bicycle trails in autumn and a promenade that takes you to two lakes with plenty of ducks.  In the vestiges of a plantation dating from the 18C are now terraces Italian style with the oldest the current prince gardens or Jardin des Princes with a nice collection of plants, trees, and flowers around a vegetable garden  and a pergola covered with roses in spring. In another terrace, you have the  the laberynth with 1000 shrubs or the labyrinthe aux 1000 buis, opened in 2000, and a current interpretation of the forest lost of the 19C.

Other monuments sights to see around this area are the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, of the 13C, the lavoir or washhouse, closed on the four sides with two access doors, dates from the 18C and was restored in 1999 , The underground blockhouse dating from the WWII. One famous resident I like was Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress, resided in the town, in La Ferté, 4 km away for twenty years. Fame for many but my favorite Casablanca !

A bit of the history I like tell us that the castle located on the site of the Château de Breteuil was originally called Bévilliers because in this place rose, in the Gallo-Roman era, two villas , The lordship is mentioned for the first time in 1142 and the first reference to a manor dates back to 1560, In 1712, Charles Le Tonnelier de Breteuil is the heir to the last of the Renouard and now the domain will be transmitted from father to son until today. Two other ancestors were distinguished in the 18C, Gabrielle-Émilie de Breteuil , woman of science and Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil , ambassador then Minister of King Louis XVI. It was he who is responsible for arresting Cardinal Rohan on August 15, 1785, in Versailles, during the scandal of the collar affair. The Baron de Breteuil is one of the defenders of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI The estate is put under receivers under the French revolution, and taken back by Charles de Breteuil in 1802. Deputy at the time, Henry de Breteuil received Léon Gambetta on March 12, 1881 and the future King Edward VII. This meeting will participate in the long diplomatic efforts with a view to the construction of the entente cordiale or cordial agreement signed in 1904 , In 1912, the young prince of Wales, grandson of Edward VII, future Edward VIII, stayed at the castle to learn French, From 1967, the castle was restored by Henri-François, Marquis de Breteuil, and the Marquise, his wife née Séverine Decazes de Glücksberg, daughter of the 4th Duke Decazes and 4th Duke of Glücksberg and opened to the public to pay the costs renovations and upkeep.

The Château de Breteuil on the castle gardens : https://www.breteuil.fr/en/the-gardens-of-chateau-de-breteuil/

The town of Choisel on its history/heritage : https://www.choisel.fr/presentation/

There you go folks, this is quant pretty woody little Choisel, a nice ride in my memorable Yvelines. The castle and gardens of Breteuil is a must to see for the history of France, I am looking forward to see it again, eventually, This is a wonderful nice area and town, that is worth the detour , me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Château de Breteuil in Choisel, exteriors !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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