History of the chateau de la Ferte-Fresnel

A story of castles

The present castle is the fourth one to be built on the historic of Ferté-Fresnel in the heart of Ouche country, in Lower Normandy.

The first two were feudal castles built by the barons of Ferté-Fresnel from the tenth century onwards.

The third one, a baronial manor house called "le colombier", which recalled the first fortresses, was built in 1766 by Baron d’Hericy.

The present castle

Marquis Armand Alexis Odet De Montault, who inherited the domain in 1853 from his father Henri De Montault, Chamberlain and later gentleman of the King’s bedchamber and Marquis, decided to have the fourth and present castle built in 1863.

For the construction of this monumental residence he called on the Parisian architect Stores, State Buildings Inspector, who had put forward a project for the Paris Halles in 1854, and realized a project for the Paris Opera in 1860. In 1873 he also put forward a project for the Hôtel de Ville in Paris.

The castle’s prestigious staircase and great hall are without a doubt an adaptation of one of his projects.

The architect Stores called on painter decorators, of whom Alphonse Ouri (1828-1891) student of Delacroix, for the decoration of the great hall, as well as the artist Godon for the paintings to be found in the castle’s art and music salon.

Numerous antique decorations, dating from before the construction of the castle, were brought by the Marquis from another castle: eighteenth century Versailles style parquets, wainscoting from the end of the seventeenth century, Louis XV fireplaces, a Louis XIV fireplace, etc. Abundant and well-preserved, they form a very high quality ensemble.

The Gardens

The original eighteenth century French style gardens, which had been transformed into a landscaped park in the nineteenth century, were recreated by the very rich banker Vincent, who acquired the domain in 1918 and was the owner until 1939. The fashion of the period turning once towards French gardens, the landscapers Henri et Achille Duchêne took the initiative to recreate this style, which can still be seen today, with features like moat bridges, a serpentine lake, a pond, balusters, flowerbeds, avenues, various species of age-old trees and topiaries such as yew benches spread over twenty hectares, as well as eighty hectares of grounds, woods and forests.

The castle is a listed historic monument.

Guest rooms at the castle enable visitors to enjoy a pleasant stay in this high quality domain. Three reception rooms are also available for hire on the south side of the castle for different festivities.