Featured property

The Old Walnut Mill  Delightful, spacious 2 bedroom  19th Century Loire Valley house for rent in the peaceful village of Barrou in the department of Indre et Loire,France. The village’s location halfway between the regional capitals of Tours and Poitiers makes it an ideal base to explore the Loire Valley and Vienne. 

Click here to visit owner's web site

The Château du Rivau is one of the lesser known of the Loire Valley but it really is worth adding to your  itinerary. Its history, it is intimately linked to the Beauvau family who were related to the Counts of Anjou and fought under their banner and its gardens make for an interesting visit. In the 13^th century the family went on to serve the kings of France and in 1454 were allied directly to the royal family through the marriage of Jean II de Bourbon to Isabeau de Beauvau. Many members of the Beauvau family have, over the centuries, given their lives for France.

In 1429, before the siege of Orleans, Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at Rivau, a place renowned for the quality of its ‘war’ horse breeding and training. The chateau was fortified in the mid 15^th century but was modified to be the chateau you see today during the Renaissance.

The monumental stables in the outbuildings, that supplied royal stallions were constructed in 1510 by Francois de Beauvau, a captain of Francois I. They are currently being restored back to their original design.

Rivau was saved in the 17^th century by Richelieu as his sister Françoise was married to Jean de Beauvau, lord of Rivau, it had remained in his family for nearly 250 years before being acquired by marquis Michel-Ange de Castellane, lord of Villandry, he stayed here with his family until 1796.

Like a lot of Loire Chateaux it went into decline until it received a ten year restoration programme, starting in 1992, to restore some of its former splendour. You can visit a few of the internal rooms of the chateau which although sparsely furnished give you a taste of what life may have been like back in its  heyday. You can sit at a window seat and view the splendid gardens as they must surely have in the past.

These gardens which should be viewed prior to the chateau visit are now renowned for their light and airy "fairytale" feeling. Designed by proprietor and modern art collector Patricia Laigneau as an historical recreation of Middle Ages gardens, you'll enjoy the contemporary art installations, including carvings and giant legs running through the trees!  

The 12 uniquely designed gardens include ‘The Enchanted Forrest’, ‘The Lover’s Wood’, ‘The Orchard of Paradise’ and ‘The Secret Garden’ all to explore. A few of these are still at a very 'young' stage as they have replaced original gardens but this does not take away from the overall feeling of the pleasure they provide. Very young children may very well come away enchanted! 
 

Official website  www.chateaudurivau.com

2010 May 16: Equestrian Jousting .....click here for more detail

  There is a programme of concerts and events including a pumpkin festival in autumn. Discounted entry for RHS members. 
 

Tip:

This chateau should be added to your itinerary when 'doing' Chinon and Abbeye  de Fontevraud even at the expense of chateau at Montsoreau.

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