History
Château des Landes was built as a family home around 1870 by Doctrovée and Célestine Boutillier. The area around the château was farmland and owned by the Boutillier family. Their daughter Amélie married Charles Delaquaize, who was also mayor of Landes-Vieilles-et-Neuves in the 1880s and 1890s. Their son Emile married Marguerite Burchell, who sold the house to the Vermotte family after Emile’s death in 1931.
This family lived in the château and exploited the land until 1993, with the exception of an interlude during the Second World War. Then the château was requisitioned by German officers. The two large Sequoias in the garden offered a nice vantage point over the area. The Germans built many V1 (flying bomb) launch sites in the Forêt d’Eu. To eliminate these, there were many bombings, still witnessed by the enormous craters, as well as the ruined launch sites. In 1993, the château with the one hectare park garden was sold to Gérard and Jacqueline Simon and has been used as a bed & breakfast until 2015.
Photos
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The Château now…
Next to the château is the beautiful Forêt d’Eu. The forest is still a popular hunting ground from September to March. The story goes that during a hunting trip in the 1920s Coco Chanel was a guest at the château with her friend, the Duke of Westminster. In the 1930s, a large conservatory was built at the back of the château with access to the cellars. Grapes were planted and grew from the outside into the conservatory. We are literally still reaping the benefits of that. In the summer breakfast is served under these grape vines.
The château consists of three floors. On the ground floor there is a salon for guests with a beautiful fireplace and piano. It’s the perfect spot to grab a book or have a drink before dinner. Through the double doors you can access the red dining room, which is styled with hunting decor. Through the kitchen you reach the conservatory. Here you’ll find a stand where you can grab throughout the day a cup of coffee and tea or you can take a drink or snack from the fridge and add it to your room name.
On the first and second floor are the guest bedrooms with views over our gardens. Due to their location, the rooms are not easily accessible for people in wheelchairs. In summer it’s wonderful to have a picnic on the lawn, play crocket whilst enjoying a drink or you could choose to wander through the trees at the side of the château. Parking is available next to the château and there is a charging station for electric cars.
