This is one of those towns we came in my local road warrior trails while living in Versailles, the choices are endless just here alone. It is worth the detour for the quant pretty real towns and villages of my belle France, I am glad to have found me this picture in my cd rom vault that made me do it for you and me. Therefore, here is my take on this is La Celle les Bordes !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The village of La Celle les Bordes is located in the Yvelines department no 78 in the Île-de-France region of my belle France. It is 12 km from Rambouillet, 30 km from Versailles, 17 km from Dourdan, and 440 km from my current home, We came here from Versailles along the the potager du roi and parc Balbi (see posts) to connect with the N12 highway dir Dreux and getting off at exit/sortie 6 on Avenue des Garennes dir Voisins le Bretonneux to get onto the D91 road continue past Senlisse and Cernay la Ville to connect with the D906 road dir Rambouillet but before bear right onto the D61 road to arrive at La Celle les Bordes by Rue de la Petite Forêt and you see the castle on your left hand side.
I passed by this wonderful castle, The Château des Bordes is a former fortified castle of which only the two towers and the entrance remain, along with an annex. Little is known about the castle. It is likely that insecurity led to the construction of a fortified site on the edge of the plateau, easily defended and overlooking the plain to the north. Nothing remains of it except for ancillary elements: a main building and the beautiful entrance flanked by round towers, which was once reflected in a large pond. It is known that Alexandre des Bordes, a relative of Guy de Lévis, encouraged the founding of the Notre-Dame de la Roche Abbey (see post), and that Philippe des Bordes lived in the 14C as his wife is buried in the parish church of La Celle. The Château des Bordes was in place at the beginning of the 15C. Extensions in the 18C ,a laidout indicating a dwelling in front of the barns. In 1826, the barn and dovecote were still in place. In 1871, the new owner, Mr. Flury, had a new castle and stables built. From then on, the old castle served as an entrance gatehouse. The castle, with its regular laidout, consists of a basement and two square floors, the main structure has a beautiful entrance , servants’ quarters, a dovecote, stables, and a tithe barn.
Other things to see here are the Church Saint-Germain , (after the castle above) ,dates from the 16C. A more popular castle, the Château de La Celle was built around 1610 by Claude de Harville. The stables date from the 19C. Pierre de Harville purchased the fief of La Celle in 1363, during the reign of John the Good, when nothing remained of the monastery founded by Saint Germain. The land then remained in the de Harville family for more than three centuries. Claude de Harville , Marquis of Palaiseau, had the current Château de La Celle built at the beginning of the 17C.
A bit of history tell us that the name of the village has known other forms: in the time of Abbot Irminon, it was La Celle-en-Yveline or La Celle-Saint-Germain. In the 13C, we encountered the form: La Celle-près-Cernay. We always note the desire to distinguish the village from the other La Celle Saint-Cloud (see post) which was also in the obedience of the old diocese of Paris and still in the department of Yvelines. At the time when feudalism was born and developed, the isolation of La Celle les Bordes made it disappear from the scene of History which mainly remembers the rivalries of the lords of Montfort and Rochefort. At the end of the 14C, we see Pierre de Harville acquire the fief of La Celle in 1363, The best known of the line is Claude de Harville: he inherited lands around La Celle and made a wealthy marriage by marrying Catherine des Ursins. He was well-off at court and, during the civil war, he played the good horse, that of Henry IV: he was showered with royal favors, settled in the restored peace and built himself a castle La Celle.
On June 8, 1944, at 12h37 a Lancaster DS 822, belonging to Squadron 514, took off from Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire England, It belonged to the “Massy Palaiseau” group and was to destroy the railway sidings at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. On the way back from the mission, the Lancaster was hit by flak and a Messerschmitt 110 night fighter. Two of its engines had stopped and were on fire. The pilot gave the order to evacuate over Bonnelles at an altitude of 1,800 meters. The aircraft then went into a spin and broke in two. The tail fell into the Little Forest. Four men were able to parachute in the following order: Durham, Clarke, Lewis and McGown. They landed at Bonnelles, Moutiers, Les Bordes and Auffargis. Taken into care by the local resistance, McGown and Durham continued their destiny and returned to combat, Clarke and Lewis were taken prisoner by the nazis, then released at the end of the war. Three men died during the crash: Kenneth Brian, John Boanson and Robert Guy (RIP), They are buried in the cemetery of La Celle-les-Bordes.
The official village of La Celle les Bordes on its heritage: http://www.lacellelesbordes.fr/
The official Parc Naturel Régional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse on La Celle les Bordes: https://www.parc-naturel-chevreuse.fr/un-territoire-preserve/le-patrimoine-dans-les-55-communes/la-carte-des-communes-du-parc/la-celle
The Rambouillet tourist office on La Celle les Bordes: https://www.rambouillet-tourisme.fr/en/communes/la-celle-les-bordes/
There you go folks, enjoy this wonderful ride into the French soul, and the countryside of the Yvelines dept 78 at quant nice off the beaten path village of La Celle les Bordes, there is a lot more to see around here ! Again ,hope you enjoy this post on this is La Celle les Bordes !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 