Step Outside: Château de Chenonceau

Take a walk along the beautiful avenue that leads from the village of Chenonceaux south-east, straight towards the grand entrance of the Château de Chenonceau.

The Château de Chenonceau spans the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley, France. The current château was built between 1514-1522 on the foundations of an old mill.

This bed chamber is named for Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman and a prominent courtier at the courts of kings Francis I and Henry II. While Henry II married Catherine de Medici, he gave Château de Chenonceau to de Poitier.

When Henry's young son, Francis, took the throne in 1599, his mother Catherine de Medici took charge. One of her first acts was to force Diane de Poitier to hand over the crown jewels and to leave Château de Chenonceau.

King Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, visited the Château de Chenonceau in 1650 and stayed in this dedicated bed chamber. By this date the château had fallen out of fashion. He was the last king of the Ancien Régime to visit.

During the French Revolution, the chapel escaped destruction by being disguised as a wood store. However, during the Second World War it was severely damaged during an Allied bombing raid, and the original stained glass windows were destroyed.

The grand gallery, which extended along the existing bridge to cross the entire river, was dedicated in 1577 by Catherine de Medici. During the First World War, it was used as a military hospital ward.

It looks like the cooks have only just left. This kitchen, with its fireproof stone ceiling, sits down at the very lowest level of the castle.

Catherine expanded the gardens of the château, suing them to host spectacular parties. In 1560, the first ever fireworks display seen in France took place during the celebrations marking Francis II's ascension.

Not far from the gardens is the old Orangerie. As the name suggests, this building was used to grow oranges, as well as other rare exotic plants.