Cande wrapper...

After the tour of the inside of Chateau de Cande yesterday I thought I should give you a look around it from the outside and gardens. The design of the chateau is an odd mix of styles which actually combine, if not historically accurate, to give it a certain uniqueness. On the left of the top photograph you can see the viaduct of the Bordeaux railway line as it crosses the lovely Indre river valley, just to give you a feel for its setting, here is a closer shot - quite stunning! 

The original chateau was built in the early 16th century by a former mayor of Tours,François Briçonnet. This was at a time when Touraine and indeed the Loire Valley, as the place to live, was the choice of kings and noblemen.

The Neo-Gothic building you see today was commissioned by Santiago Drake Castillo an Anglo-Cuban painter in the late 19th century and entrusted to a local architect Jacques-Aime Meffre who obviously had a lot of fun with it! Why have only one style of tower when you are spoilt for choice?

Its a bit of a melange but all the more interesting, we think, for that.

In the renovated Orangery,which is also the ticket office,you will find objects, accessories and gourmet products symbolising the “Touraine way of life”.There is a selection of gardening books and tools alongside the Touraine area’s best saffron, jams, honeys and poires tapées (dried pears). There is also a collection of small kitchen and wine tools and a unique selection of creations from local artisans.

The estate of the chateau covers an area of 250 hectares and  includes a marked path and lake. There are also vegetable gardens and an orchard, so you have all the elements for a good day out.