Exploring Château Marouatte: Behind the Doors and Around the Courtyards

 Exploring Château Marouatte: Behind the Doors and Around the Courtyards

Part 1

One of the pleasures of staying at Château Marouatte is realizing that there is far more here than the château itself. The longer I wander, the more little spaces I discover. There are courtyards, patios, old outbuildings, workshops, storage rooms and doors that make me wonder what might be hiding on the other side.

So, naturally, I have been exploring.

This is Part 1 of my wander through some of the less formal spaces around the château.

The first little corner immediately caught my attention. Against an old stone wall is a weathered wooden door almost hidden beneath grapevines and greenery. Bright pink flowers spill across the path, but the real surprise is mounted beside the door. It is an elaborate ceramic wall basin decorated with a wonderfully theatrical face, complete with curling ornamentation in green, turquoise and brown.

And above it all hangs a bottle.

It is one of those wonderfully eccentric combinations that makes you stop and take a photograph. Ancient stone, an old vine twisting across the wall, flowers growing with abandon, decorative pottery and a bottle suspended overhead. Nothing matches, yet somehow everything belongs.

Then I opened another door.

Inside was one of the most unexpected rooms I have encountered here.

At first glance, it looks like a working storage area for the estate. Several four-wheelers are parked beneath an enormous timber roof. Tools and equipment are tucked into the corners. But then your eyes begin traveling upward and around the room.

This is no ordinary garage.

The massive exposed roof timbers alone are beautiful, but along the walls are carved Gothic architectural pieces, paintings, banners, decorative panels and what appears to be an entire collection of historic or reproduction furnishings. High on one wall stands a full suit of armor.

There is something rather wonderful about seeing a knight in armor keeping watch over the ATVs.

It is a perfect example of the layers here. The practical needs of a working property coexist with objects that look as though they belong in another century. Nothing has been staged for my benefit. The machines are here because they are used. The old pieces are here because this is where they live. Somehow that makes the room even more interesting.

Outside, another courtyard has an entirely different personality.

White-painted wrought-iron chairs are scattered beneath a large tree, their elaborate scrollwork looking almost delicate against the rough gravel. Nearby are trailers, garden equipment, architectural fragments and an enormous terracotta-colored vessel. Along one side stands a long building with dark wooden framing and diamond-paned windows.

It feels part courtyard, part workshop and part architectural salvage yard.

Looking more closely, I began noticing pieces everywhere. A decorative column stands against a wall. Carved stonework rests nearby. An ornate piece of ironwork leans beside an old cylindrical object. Other fragments wait along the edges as though they have been gathered here until someone decides where they belong.

Even the areas that are clearly used for storage have character.

Through a heavy metal grille I could see another enclosed work area. Tarps cover the ground, pieces of stone and wood are scattered about, and another enormous terracotta vessel rises beside the building. It is a reminder that maintaining a property of this size and age is an ongoing process. There is always something being repaired, preserved, moved or stored.

Then I walked back toward the more open courtyard, and the atmosphere changed again.

A long, low stone building stretches along the lawn, its pale walls softened by vines and greenery. The red tile roof provides a warm line above it, while doors and windows punctuate the façade at irregular intervals. There is nothing overly manicured about it. That is part of its appeal. The plants are allowed to climb. The stone shows its age. Benches and tables appear where they are useful.

A gravel lane curves through the space, connecting the buildings and disappearing toward another stone archway.

And, of course, I had company.

One of the château dogs appeared in the courtyard and paused long enough to look back at me, apparently checking on what I was doing. It seemed entirely appropriate. If I was going to wander around inspecting doors, patios and buildings, perhaps someone needed to supervise.

Standing there, I began to appreciate how different this part of Château Marouatte feels from the grand rooms and towers that first capture your attention. These are the spaces that reveal how the property actually lives.

There are beautiful things here, but there are also lawn machines, trailers, tarps and tools. There are medieval-looking carvings beside modern equipment. There are elegant wrought-iron chairs waiting beneath a tree and architectural fragments waiting for another purpose.

And everywhere there is stone.

Old walls surround the courtyards. Vines creep across the buildings. Gravel crunches underfoot. Roof tiles have softened with age. Doors lead into rooms that seem to contain completely different worlds.

That may be what I am enjoying most about exploring the château.

You never quite know what is behind the next door.

And I have many more doors to open.

Part 2 coming next.