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CHATEAU DE LA BROSSE

Château de la Brosse is a magnificently restored château, in perfect mechanical condition and as replete with modern comforts and amenities as it is with the character of pre-Revolutionary France. Its sumptuous rooms, lush park-like setting and impeccable grounds will please the most discriminating visitor. The manner in which the château has been renovated and furnished reflects the owners' desire to offer their rental guests a prestigious, historically important and luxuriously appointed property of the highest caliber.

The château was constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries by the Marvaillière family, nobles of the region. Later additions brought the château to its present size of 1,115 m2 (12,000 sq. ft.) of living space distributed over the central, east and west wings of the structure, which frames a large entrance courtyard on three sides. While retaining its period ambiance, the château has been fitted with modern facilities throughout.

The château is situated on a terrain of 15 hectares (37 acres) that includes fields, gardens, and a five-hectare (12.5-acre) park which is arranged in a classic 18th-century French-style. Behind a tall hedge some 30 meters from the château (a meter is about a yard) is an enclosed 6m X 12m (20' X 39.5') rectangular swimming pool. Nearby is an immaculate hard-surface tennis court with deep backcourts. A stone wall more than two meters high encloses the property, insuring privacy to those occupying the château or strolling the grounds.

Location. Château de la Brosse is well situated for exploring the many châteaux, vineyards, medieval and Renaissance villages, and other historic sites of the strikingly beautiful Loire region of central France. Within minutes to the south is La Brenne, an area of small lakes devoted to fishing and nature preserves. A fine 18-hole golf course open to the public, complete with grill, restaurant, and clubs for rent, is less than ten minutes away in the village of Villedieu-sur-Indre. The quiet roads near the château are ideal for long walks or driving.

Château de la Brosse is easily accessible from Paris or other parts of France. The city of Tours, situated in the heart of the Loire Valley, can be reached by high-speed train (TGV) from Paris in 50 minutes. Tours has major rental car companies at the train station, and is a 92-kilometer drive from the château. Tours also links with Eurostar TGV service to Lille and London, and has an airport with limited service from Paris and London.

Alternatively, there is conventional train service from Paris to Châteauroux, a drive of 24 kilometers. Châteauroux is a town of 55,000 inhabitants with a full range of shopping, dining and other amenities. Major car rental companies are located at or near the train station in Châteauroux.

Once at the château, the village of Buzançais, less than four kilometers away, has bakeries, supermarkets, charcuteries and cafés, restaurants and a post office. Visitors will not want to miss the Friday morning open-air market, when farmers and other artisans set up their stalls in the town center.

The central wing of the château

Grand salon and formal dining room. The gates to the château, reached from a country road by a long driveway flanked by trees and lawns, open onto a formal garden courtyard (cour d'honneur) edged with roses and surrounded by a gravel driveway. From the courtyard, the principal doorway into the main wing of the château, the central one, opens to a spacious entry hall. Adjacent to the entry hall is a large coatroom and two guest lavatories. On the other side of the entry hall are the informal dining room and kitchen, as described below.

From the entry hall a gracefully curved 18th-century stone staircase with a Directory-style wrought-iron railing leads up to the middle level, where the main public rooms and four bedrooms are situated.

Beyond a generous library that opens from a spacious landing on the middle level is a large, formal living room, or grand salon, with commanding views of both the cour d’honneur and the 18th-century park There is direct access through French-style doors and a cascading stone double staircase to the lawn. Like the rest of the château, the salon is furnished with an eclectic mixture of antiques that captures another age while remaining an inviting place to relax or entertain. The salon and the adjacent library have 18th-century wood paneling, fireplaces, and many pleasant little niches for reading, reflection, and conversation.

On the opposite side of the landing from the grand salon is the formal dining room. Here one finds of the château's most engaging features - a mural, created by a Parisian artist commissioned by the owners, that depicts an imaginary 18th-century style of life at the château in images that cover the four walls and ceiling. The mural allegorizes the transition from earthly pleasures - tables laden with food and drink, beautifully dressed women strolling in the gardens, figures in romantic poses - to an ethereal state of being where these pleasures are transformed into a heavenly memory.

The dining room, which could serve as a movie set for a dinner party attended by heads of state, is remarkable for its original black and white stone floor, fireplace woodwork and tall clerestory windows. A Venetian glass chandelier is suspended above the magnificent antique wood table, which can seat up to 14 guests.

Adjacent to the formal dining room is a fully equipped modern kitchen with a four-burner La Canche gas stove, two dishwashers, a two-door refrigerator, microwave and a full array of cookware. A dumb waiter connects this kitchen with the family kitchen on the ground level.

Note: Sizes of the beds in each bedroom, as well as facilities in each bathroom, are summarized in a separate section below.

Bedrooms - middle level. Beyond the grand salon are two bedrooms, a cozy drawing room with 16th-century English wood paneling and a fireplace, and an adjoining circular office that offers the ideal place to set up a laptop computer. Off the drawing room is a small corridor with a wet bar. From this corridor a stairway leads to the flower gardens and pool area, as well as to the small bedroom in the west wing, as described below.

Another corridor from the stairway landing leads to two other bedrooms, for a total of four bedrooms on the middle level, each with an ensuite bath. Each pair of bedrooms may be closed off from the rest of the château, and one pair, along with the den and office, comprises a substantial suite.

Bedrooms - upper level. The curving staircase continues from the landing on the middle level to the upper floor. From the landing six stone steps lead to a bedroom, unique for its painted beams and oeil de boeuf window, with a queen-sized bed and ensuite bath. This bedroom is air-conditioned.

Also opening from the landing is a large bedroom with queen-sized bed, ensuite bath and dressing area. A corridor from the landing leads to the master bedroom. This commodious suite of rooms includes a dressing area and ensuite bath, and the bedroom has a television with satellite reception.

Beyond the master suite are two more bedrooms and a large playroom with games and toys for youngsters. One of these bedrooms, situated in a circular tower, is a spacious guest bedroom; the other is decorated for children. These two bedrooms share a large bathroom with double basins and a WC. The playroom, which is carpeted, has a single bed and three infant beds as well as a plethora of toys for young children.

Ground-floor kitchen and "informal" dining room. The kitchen and a less formal dining room on the ground floor complement the opulent but peaceful lifestyle that awaits guests at Château de la Brosse. While it has a more familial aspect than the stately dining room with the mural on the middle level, the "informal" dining room is beautifully appointed and has a lovely table that seats up to 10 guests.

Next to the dining room is a pantry and country-style kitchen equipped with top-of-the-line appliances that will please the most demanding amateur cook. This spacious, sunny room has exposed ceiling beams, stone tiled floors, Delft tile backsplashes, and other features from the past. The kitchen and adjacent dining room each open to a shaded terrace for warm weather dining at a weathered teakwood table that seats 12.

Kitchen appliances include a Gaggenau halogen stove with five burners and large oven, an additional oven and a separate built-in microwave oven. There are two dishwashers (one in the pantry), and an American-style two-door refrigerator. Other conveniences are a deep fryer and grill, double stainless-steel sink, countertop appliances, and a farm table that can seat up to eight for breakfast. For dining and entertaining there are several sets of dishes, with place settings for up to 24. Just beyond the adjacent family room is an extra refrigerator and freezer, along with a wine cooler.

Next to the kitchen is a charming family room with fireplace, furnished in a provincial English style with double sofas and a television with satellite reception, including CNN. Both the family room and kitchen open directly to the entrance courtyard.

Laundry room and other amenities. The laundry room, on the ground floor of the central wing, has two washing machines, two tumble dryers and ironing facilities. Numerous telephone jacks permit laptop users to reach the Internet by dial-up connection from almost anywhere in the château. Other amenities include an alarm system, ample parking, a powerful new central heating system, and a VCR that plays both European and American videos. A selection of books, games, and videos are available (the videos are primarily in French, and the books and games are primarily in English). French-language videos can also be rented in nearby Buzançais.

East wing

Renovations on the ground and upper floor of the east wing, which is on the right as one faces the château, were completed in 2004. The result is a charmingly appointed apartment that can be used as an extension of the château, or as a discrete suite of rooms for guests who desire separate quarters.

The apartment, tastefully decorated with antiques and colorful fabrics, includes a sitting area with a sofa, armchairs and a working fireplace; a separate dining room, and a perfectly equipped kitchen with granite counters and top-quality appliances.

Between the two handsomely decorated bedrooms is a tiled bathroom with a claw-foot bathtub and hand-held shower. The WC is separate. In addition to a closet or armoire in the bedrooms there is abundant storage space in a corridor that connects the various rooms.

With its different entrances, the east wing apartment offers maximum flexibility in living arrangements, including access from ground level for guests who might have trouble with steps. The apartment can be entered from the courtyard, from the family room in the main part of the château, and from the garden-terrace area lying just outside. The apartment may be closed off completely from the château, giving occupants of the apartment complete privacy.

While smaller, the apartment kitchen is equipped to virtually to the same standard as the other two kitchens in the château. Appliances include a four-burner La Canche stove with oven, microweve, dishwasher and undercounter refrigerator. The adjacent dining room has a wood table for six.

An anteroom joins the family room in the main part of the château with the east wing apartment. From the anteroom a staircase leads to an unusual space, once an attic and now renovated into a vast room with high beamed ceilings, a big fireplace and polished hardwood floors with area rugs in a rich burgundy color. This room includes a pocket billiards table (for adult use only) and a fascinating wall hanging showing the layout of Château de la Brosse and the lands around it. This room also includes an immense early 19th-century table in the Empire style. The table is of considerable value and is off-limits to all children and teenagers.

West wing

The west wing, on the left as one faces the château, is comprised mainly of storage area for bicycles (of which there are three available for guests' use) and grounds maintenance equipment. At the juncture of the west and central wings is a small bedroom with a 120 cm (48" across) bed. This bedroom may be reached from the courtyard, or by an interior stairway that descends from the wet bar area on the middle level of the central wing. The bedroom is simply but pleasingly furnished, and is most appropriate for a young guest or staff person.

Bed sizes and bathrooms in the three wings

Bed sizes and bathrooms associated with the various bedrooms in the château are summarized below.

Note: A 140cm bed is 55" across.

Central wing

Middle Level

Bedroom 1: Queen-sized bed, ensuite bath with tub and handheld shower.

Bedroom 2: 140 cm double bed, ensuite bath with stall shower.

Bedrooms 1 and 2 share a WC in the hallway between the two bedrooms.

Bedroom 3: 140 cm double bed, ensuite bath with stall shower, WC.

Bedroom 4: Two twin beds, ensuite bath with tub and handheld shower, WC.

Upper Level

Bedroom 5: Queen-sized bed, ensuite bath with stall shower and WC.

Bedroom 6: Queen-sized bed, ensuite bath with tub and handheld shower and WC.

Bedroom 7 (master): Queen-sized bed, very large ensuite bath with tub, separate stall shower in marble, double vanity, WC.

Bedroom 8: Two twin beds (decorated as a children's room).

Bedroom 9: 140 cm double bed (in a circular room in the tower decorated as a children's room).

Playroom with a single bed and three infant beds. The infant beds can be moved into bedrooms as necessary.

Bedrooms 8 and 9 and the playroom share a bath located between them with a tub with handheld shower and separate WC.

East wing

Bedrooms 10 and 11: One with queen-sized bed, one with twin beds.

Bedrooms 10 and 11 share a bath located between them with a tub and hand-held shower. The WC is separate.

West wing

Ground Level

Bedroom 12: 120 cm (48” across) bed, generous for one person, very cozy for two.

Occupants of bedroom 12 may go outside and enter the central wing of the château to use the guest lavatory on the ground floor. Or they may go up an inside staircase, then pass through the wet bar and den area on the middle level to use a bathroom associated with one of the middle-level bedrooms.

Staff services

A guardian comes to the property daily except weekends to take care of the grounds and pool. A maid cleans on weekdays, with additional cleaning for bedrooms and personal laundry available at extra cost. Depending on the time of year, the owners may be able to arrange for a cook to prepare and serve meals at the château at additional cost.

One local service that will be of special interest to guests of Château de la Brosse is an excellent traiteur (caterer) in Buzançais. Special orders of any quantity are accepted with several days’ notice. The traiteur also provides table service and on-site final preparation as requested with at least one week’s advance notice. With its spacious grounds, beautifully landscaped gardens and the services of a high-quality caterer easily available, Château de la Brosse is an ideal place to celebrate an important birthday or other special occasion with friends.