The park of the château 
(Plan at the end of the page)
 The park of the château covers 5 hectares (12 acres), mainly a large park "à l'anglaise" with a large variety of trees.

The Chateau du Plessis is surrounded by 2,000 acres of grassland, fields & woodland. The neighbouring farm formerly belonged to the chateau and now produces snails for consumption. The park of the chateau is 12 acres separated into several gardens; a formal garden, childrens play area, large kitchen garden, fruit trees & pond. Wild animals, such as deers, rabbit, wild boar etc... can be seen at dawn crossing the lawn. A wide variety of birds live in the trees & small bats fly at night. The sound of the owl can be heard at night.

 

The courtyard on the north side of the chateau is surrounded by the outbuildings and creates a small calm garden. The Cottage and the East Pavillion face the West Pavillion and the old Pigeon coot. This corner retains an element of calm and a very good area for reading in the shade of the old buildings.


A new formal garden "à la française" has been replanted south of the chateau, with some topiary and flower beds ornating the chateau frontage. The south side offers the best views of the chateau with its two round towers.
The grass tennis court is believed to have been created around 1900 by the family Maurice du Plessis but is no longer in use. Unfortunately, the lawn & lines require too much maintenance. From this garden there is a wide view of the countryside, woodland & fields.
 

We have renewed an old octagonal gazebo beside the tennis court. The pattern of coloured tiles on the new roof match with the bricks of various colours on the original five walls. This type of building is known in French as a "fabrique", which means a small pleasure building in the park of a chateau. The octagonal structure of the roof was renovated by the famous French Guild "Compagnons du Devoir", whose Museum is in Tours. These craftmen work on very difficult projects and specialise in listed buildings.


The swimming pool is situated on the west side of the park, far away from the chateau to avoid any noise pollution! The water is heated with solar panels. The water to fill the pool comes from a natural water source running through the park.
The pool is near to the site where Eugene O'Neill created a swimming pool in the 1920's. His pool was filled in with earth, in the 1970's, to avoid any accidents with the students staying in the chateau.
 

A large kitchen garden at the east end of the park produces a huge variety of fresh vegetables and fruit.
Throughout the year, it offers our family very natural food and a healthy hobby.

The chateau has a special dark room in the cellar to store vegetables & fruit for several months, in particular potatoes, apples & pears.
All sorts of jams; strawberry, raspberry, melon, pumpkin, etc are home-made for family and B&B guest breakfasts.

 From the park of the chateau , you can leave in a rented helicopter and fly over the famous chateaux of the Loire Valley; Villandry, Langeais, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Amboise, Blois, etc...

Chateau du Plessis - Plan of the Park