Château de Montpoupon in the Loire Valley, just 10 minutes from Château de Chenonceau, is an excellent example of what can be done to make a small family château attractive to the public. A recorded conversation between a young girl and her father, for example, is used to take the visitor through the living and dining rooms downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. The extensive 19th century outbuildings contain several exhibitions relating to the Hunt, which was and still is, one of the main activities of the various owners. In particular there is a large display of Hermès scarves which were originally part of the hunting scene. Definitely worth a visit.
Monday’s Travel Photos – Château de Montpoupon http://t.co/Rr0rKvKG3n
We’ve always really liked Montpoupon (and in fact it is the chateau in the background of our logo). But although the chateau buildings and their setting are utterly charming, it can be a hard sell to visitors. Many people are really put off by the quantity of hunting trophies (and I don’t entirely blame them). It is a remarkable repository of the 19thC rural and sporting life though. I particularly like the display from Deyrolle (the famous taxidermists) and the saddler’s shop. You may not approve of hunting but if you are not squeamish it is a wonderful insight into various lost or unfashionable arts. We have a good friend who collects taxidermy and paintings of nuns because they are both unfashionable but often highly skilled. He feels it would be a shame to lose such things altogether.
Hi Susan, I’m not an enthusiast of the Hunt, but I still found the château very interesting. I think the owners have exercised more ingenuity than Beauregard, for example. I wonder if they could consider translating their dialogues into English because they are really an excellent idea. I’m not a great fan of Hermès scarves either, but the exhibition is excellent and it’s interesting to see that Hermès was actually a saddler looking to diversify his business.