Taking a tour of Chateau la Verrerie

IN addition to being the land of wine, cheese, haute couture and perfume... France is also the land of chateaux, writes Christopher Strong.

Some are ruined. Some renovated. Some inhabited. Some just tourist traps. But one chateau in the mix that’s refreshingly unique and distinct, is the Chateau la Verrerie.

It's claim to fame is, at once, it's proprietor, and it's history. Count Beraud DeVogue is the fifth DeVogue to be born, and continuing living in, the family home.

And that, to me, and re-assuringly Count DeVogue, is what makes the Chateau la Verrerie, found in the Berry region to the south of Orléans, so unique.

"I think people come here for the rich history of the place," he said. "Not the luxury. If luxury is to be measured by the variety of the wine or the weight of the silver, then I think there are places much more luxurious than ours.

"But I think we have a real luxury, which is to visit a place that is owned by the family that is still living in it."

The history Count DeVogue refers to goes back to the era of the almost continuous wars between the English and the French. And, it has a Scots connection, as the chateau was given to the French as a reward for their help in a particular battle against the English.

Thereafter, Leonce, Le Marquis DeVogue bought it at an auction. And, it has remained in the family ever since.

Count Beraud DeVogue, 'the current link in the chain', as he likes to call himself, was a businessman in the US for 12 years, until his father, in ill health, asked him to come back and 'look after the place'. And, that is what he has done. In spades.

Constantly available to explain and guide his visitors through and around the family home. His natural enthusiasm and relaxed good humour call to mind the phrase 'a sacred calling, not a job of work'.

Another of those callings is benevolence. Count DeVogue is also the deputy mayor of the nearby village of Aubigny-sur-Nere. And, in that capacity, was nice enough to take me along to an art gallery opening there.

A more personal calling is la chasse a sacred, although some, like me, would say genetic, tradition of French maledom. You must go out in the woods and kill something!

That said, whatever is killed, for whatever reason or lack of is almost always shared among the community.

This, folks, is the real France. Not Paris, Chambord and Mount St. Michel. Deal with it.

Hunting days are restricted to Thursday and Sunday, no exceptions except when there are, and Count DeVogue has 40 hunting dogs. Well he is a Count, not an accountant.

The chateau itself, constructed in the 14th century, while physically imposing, is not overbearing. Strong certainly. But with an undeniable grace and dignity absent from so many similar Monuments Historique.

Meandering through the Chateau Le Verrerie’s extensive grounds the, and there’s no other word for it, majesty of the landscape evokes an atmosphere that erases the centuries separating us from our common ancient ancestors.

The chateau's most prominent, and for me appealing feature, is the huge lake at the front. It is here that Count DeVogue’s 40 doggies take their evening bath. Definitely a Kodak moment.

Another pleasing, though not 'trop unusual' feature of Le Verrerie, is its restaurant. A tranquil, leafy stone’s throw away from the main building. Starting to feel at home yet?

Just one more thing. If you do visit Chateau Le Verrerie, know that Beraud DeVogue, although he is a Count, is 'just a regular guy', or as the French say 'un gens simple'.

And, know also, that no matter how much you fall in love with the Chateau Le Verrerie, you'll never love it as much as Beraud DeVogue.

US-born video film maker Christopher Strong produced the Bicycle Gourmet's Treasures of France tour, which fulfilled his dream of cycling around the country visiting interesting places and meeting entertaining characters.

Comments

[Chris Comley]

Hmm. Our hamlet is also La Verrerie - but not quite so posh I'm afraid! :-)

[Dawn Shepherd]

Given its name, I had expected this Chateau to have some association with glass manufacture. Anybody know if it does?