The garden is located at La Villeneuve in Creuse county close to Aubusson, capital of the tapestry.
This landscaped park with century-old rhododendrons was created in 1908 for the Chapal family, famous furriers of the Creuse county, large manufacturers of the late nineteenth century.
The park overlooking the valley is very representative of the "modern gardens" of the nineteenth. Three distinct landscape sequences compose it: a regular garden with its cut vegetation, an irregular landscaped garden where chimeras and other mystical symbols invite you with exotic species rare for the region, and finally the pond below decorated with a cave, rockeries and faux-bois railings.
The faux-bois railings along the pond
The Grande Allée with century-old rhododendrons
The castle
The early XXth faux-bois railings and the griffin balustrade on the bank of the pond
The faux-bois railings are very representative of the art of " les rocailleurs" who were at their peak at the end of the nineteenth century. They carved in cement decorative elements to imitate the wood: bridges, balustrades, stairs, kiosks to decorate the parks. These elements are present today in several very famous parks in France like the Buttes Chaumont in Paris or the Tête d'Or park in Lyon.
The faux-bois bridge
This project was born after noticing significant damages on the bank of the pond, located below the castle. This new danger came in addition to other restoration needs that we had already identified as the former greenhouses of the garden and the hydraulic system. This was a warning signal for us.
The wall that supports faux-bois railings typical of the early XXth century and a granite balustrade crowned by griffins, rare elements, are on the verge of collapsing into the pond and driving the balustrades and eventually the large staircase downwardly. This requires immediate safeguard measures.
The balustrades on the bank of the pond
The faux-bois railings in danger
The fundraising campaign will be used to restore the wall and its original rocks, and also to restore the faux-bois railings, very representative of the rockery art at late 19th and early 20th century.
The minimum objective of Stage 1 at € 10,000 is to restore the retaining wall to prevent the collapse of the entire structure. If this goal is achieved:
- Stage 2: € 30,000, which will allow us to finance the reinforcement of the wall by a concrete structure under the water level to protect the bank permanently
- Stage 3: € 50,000, which will enable us to finance the restoration of the faux-bois railing, which have been badly damaged by the time and by the beginning of the collapse of the bank
Stage of the different works
Descendants of the Chapal family who created this unique place and marked the history of the country of Crocq, we are committed to restoring this heritage and sharing it to all Heritage lovers. We are spending a sabbatical year to restore the park and open it to the public during the European event "Les Rendez-Vous aux Jardins".
Let's come and discover the Château du Rocher park during "Les Rendez-Vous aux Jardins" event from 7 to 9 June 2019:
https://openagenda.com/events/...
In Creuse county, the Chapal family is among those that have long ensured the prosperity of the department. In 1832 the family specialized in tanning rabbit skins for furs and hats. Chapal supplied the Air Force with aviator jackets during First World War, in particular Saint-Exupéry. In the 1930s, Chapal had seven factories and 3,000 employees in France and in the United States. At the beginning of the decade 1970, the company produced 80% of the French mink, manufactured Christian Dior ready-to-wear and supplied skins to Rank Xerox which used it to clean the ink rollers of its first photocopiers.
At the end of the 1970s, fur was out of fashion so that activities stopped, leading to the closure of Chapal factories.
Chapal factory in Brooklyn
The art of rock garden has its roots in the rustic architecture of the garden, important in the Renaissance, and imported to France by Italian immigrants in the early 20th century. The 19th century brought the revival of the art of rockery. The interest then focused on the rock garden, inspired by the desire for mountain tourism. The rock artists imitated the flora and the rocks. This fashion was launched around 1835 under Napoleon III in the public gardens (the first major flagship project is the famous Buttes Chaumont park in Paris), and through the universal exhibitions.
At the same time, in the 1840s, new materials appeared, notably Portland cement. The use of cement reignited the fashion of rockeries by getting closer to nature, thanks to the great know-how and artistic qualities of the "rocailleurs".
https://www.facebook.com/rocailleurs/
The faux-bois kiosk from the park, now disappeared
You can support this project:
- by making a donation online by credit card on this page after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by making a bank transfer after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by sending a check, on the back of which you will include your e-mail address, worded in the following order "Patrimoine Environnement", sent to the following address:
Dartagnans
Campagne Restauration du Parc du Château du Rocher
15 rue de Milan
75009 PARIS
Fondation du Patrimoine / La Montagne
A very big thank you in advance for your contributions and your encouragements to restore this unique place and share it with all the Heritage and garden lovers.
By email: [email protected]
Website: www.facebook.com/parcdurocher
