Travels in France: Chateau de Bouilly

Not far from Bordeaux, among the vineyards of the Gironde, in Saint-André-de-Cubzac hides the Château des Bouilles. A château that overlooks a park of 10 hectares. It is a neoclassical structure conceived by the architect Victor Louis. Its history is inseparable from the history of France. The castle was built at the request of the Marquis de La Tour Dupin to receive Louis XVI, but because of the French Revolution, work was halted. No king ever visited the unfinished palace. The family, however, retained the château until 1835. It then passed into the hands of the Hubert de Lille family, whose descendants now own it.

The French Château du Bouil is an unfulfilled dream and it is worth seeing when traveling in France. Because the Marquis de la Tour Dupin wanted to bring joy to his friend Louis XVI and for this he asked the architect Victor Louis such a plan for the castle to be worthy because there was nowhere to take it in Aquitaine. So it was erected from 1786 to 1789, for three years. And then the revolution got in the way. And so it remained unfinished. Only a third of the building now stands.

The castle has only the first wing, as the rest was not completed. There should have been stairs in the center with a small colonnade on top, and then there should have been a wing repeating the first and completing the ensemble. And then this château would have been marvelous, if of course it had been completed, but unfortunately it was not. Nevertheless, travels in France to all comers reveal its interesting history.

The current owners are thoroughly familiar with the original plan of Château des Bouilles. In 1789, Jean Frederic de La Tour Dupin was appointed deputy minister for the war. He immediately ordered a halt to construction so as not to fall under the suspicion that he was using public funds to build his own house. He was executed in 1794. When the revolution broke out, the workers stacked the stones that made up the colonnades at the last minute and, having finished, quickly left because they already knew that the government had changed.

The staircase of the château is remarkable. Victor Louis made it in virtually the same style as the theater, as he was at the same time the architect of the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux.

Marble Room. This room was originally envisioned as a dining room with garlands of flowers, fruits and vegetables, all set against a green background. It was an era of green. The room was remodeled during the time of Cousin Beth, who returned here about ten years ago. Although Louis XVI never visited the château, it did receive visits from illustrious figures such as the Duchess of Berry, the Marshal of Mac-Mahon and one poet he knew who was enamored of Madame Fayot's mother, Noelin du Beur de Lille. There is a portrait of her in the room. She was a very powerful person, literally changed this whole castle. Noelin was a maid of honor to Empress Eugenie. Lamartine was madly in love with her, and he often came here to see her, to court her. And when she left for India, he was very upset that he would not see her again because she had chosen Mr. Hubert de Lille. Lamartine dedicated lines to her:

When this child of the waves left India,

The stars in the sky began to mourn the masts,

But the glorious sky opened it to two worlds,

So that one cry of love could be heard on two fringes.

Sensitive by nature, Noelene abhorred the view from her windows and the noise of the horses in the courtyard. So she devised an intricate system of double stained glass windows, placing patterned silk fabric between the two window panes. Everything has survived beautifully.

Hubert de Lille's bureau is remarkable. It is made of mahogany, the most beautiful wood. Monsieur Hubert de Lille was governor of the island of Réunion for four years. He was much loved, as was Madame de Lisle. It seems that there is still a Hubert de Lisle square in Réunion. The wood was brought in from Réunion or neighboring islands.

Kitchen. Copperware takes a lot of work. And the sink, made from a piece of solid stone, is over a hundred years old. On the stove is a fixture for roasting coffee. Monsieur Hubert de Lisle lived in Réunion and sent huge bags of green coffee here. There is also a small stove for heating food. Since the kitchen was far away from the dining room, something was needed to keep the food warm.

The mistress of the castle and her daughter do not miss an opportunity to tell in great detail the visitors who linger in the castle and choose travels in France about life here in earlier times and today.