Chaumont sur Loire - odd mix

Chaumont has a particular place among the châteaux de la Loire. It has a long history through the centuries from around the year thousand until now. It's not one of the top 5 to be visited but should certainly be on the B list. These days it focusses on events such as outdoor art festivals to attract visitors but there's plenty to see. This year marked 500 years since the Renaissance and the Loire Châteaux were making the most of the marketing opportunities.

The château stayed in the Amboise family for 500 years. Then, in 1465, Louis  XI had it burned to the ground to punish Pierre d'Amboise who was embroiled in a revolt against the king.

Eventually Pierre got back in favour and had his land returned to him whereby he set about rebuilding. The North wing (now gone), the West wing and the tower and the first bay of the South wing were part of a defensive building campaign with rampart walks. In the next century more Italian influences were introduced with a woman's hand.

Catherine de Medici, who married King Henri II, bought the château in 1550. The estate was highly profitable at this time due to a toll on the Loire River and farming activities. Legend has it that it was at Chaumont that astrologer Ruggieri predicted the end of the Valois dynasty in France, in favour of the Bourbons, beginning with Henri IV.

Catherine demanded the return of the Château de Chenonceau (occupied by her late husband's mistress) and in return gave Diane de Poitiers Chaumont, Chaumont owes much of its current appearance to Diane though she rarely stayed there, having her own estate at Anet.










One can visit Diane's bedroom and small dressing area in a turret and they look much as they would have in her day. The travelling trunk was very detailed and the bed carvings first rate. Her initials are everywhere.

Other areas of note include the dining area with attractive tapestries and a really lovely tiled floor, original, still very much adding a quality touch; the crests included in the window panes; the stables which are still in good condition, and are probably still used; the carriage storage which was in a dreadful state of presentation (smothered in dust); and rather odd artworks scattered about the buildings and grounds.





I overheard a tour guide explaining to a group of visitors that the chateau contains a very good collection of furniture and furnishings from the 19th century, particularly the trio of armchairs designed to facilitate some very close tête-a-têtes. Apparently they are quite rare. Certainly these ground floor rooms have a very 'Victorian' feel even though this is France.

Chaumont's landscaped grounds are a fairly recent creation compared to the chateau itself. Work was carried out in 1880 in favour of vast 'English-style' leisure grounds. Owner, Prince Henri-Amedee de Broglie bought up all the village buildings located in front of the château and demolished them. He funded the rebuilding of a new village on the banks of the Loire, the church and presbytery were added. Even the cemetery was moved.

Grandiose ideas don't always come to fruition. In 1903 the Broglies had a blueprint for a model farm drawn up and work was begun which went on for 10 years but was never completed (reminds me of Louis XIV's unfinished aqueduc fiasco).

Marie-Charlotte-Constance Say was heir to the Say sugar refinieries and was the last private owner of the château from 1875-1938. She headed up one of the greatest fortunes in Europe, bought the château in 1875 and married Broglie when she was only 17 years old. The changes they made to the château welcomed Edward VII of England, Don Carlos of Portugal, various maharajas and artists/actrices including Sarah Bernhardt.

Bad speculations by a director of the sugar factories damaged the family fortune and after the death of Broglie, the princess was careless with finances, on top of the Wall Street Crash. The estate was subdivided down to only 21 hectares and in 1937 the French State took possession of Chaumont, its tapistries and historical furniture. The estate then changed from a national monument to a regional one in 2007.


There were rooms along one wing that struck me as rather odd. They were full of old 'junk' scattered about to look 'nostalgic'? It gave an ill-kempt and gloomy air. Again, dust everywhere. Further along in the wing were the institutional 19Century servants quarters, empty and totally run-down.

Visiting Chaumont gives a good view of some things and rather a jarring view of others. The upkeep must be horrendous but still... get rid of the dust. Get some local schoolkids in to help.