For the 18th consecutive year, the Mercure Forbes Global Properties group has awarded the Groupe Mercure-VMF 2020 award to the owners of the Château de Bouthonvilliers (Dangeau, Eure-et-Loir). Guided by its passion for historical and architectural heritage and its concern for its preservation, the Mercure Group has been supporting the VMF heritage protection association since 2003, when the Mercure-VMF Group award was created to support renovation and preservation work on exceptional properties.
Mercure-VMF 2020 Award : Château de Bouthonvilliers
Château de Bouthonvilliers is a grand manor house dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, located in the Dunois, or to be more precise, the Perche Goët, the charming region between Beauce and Perche. A magnificent forest of over 100 hectares and a beautiful English-style park planted with remarkable trees surround this residence formerly known as Boscovilore (House of the Woods). The château consists of a central body flanked by two side pavilions. Built in the 16th century, these pavilions feature a central oeil-de-bœuf and, along with the dovecote, are the only remaining elements of the original château, which was surrounded by a moat. The central part, destroyed by fire in the late 17th century, was rebuilt in 1768.
The harmony of the facades is ensured by the uniformity of the 18th-century openings. A one-hectare vegetable garden, enclosed by a cob wall and covered by a slate roof, as well as a pond with a wash-house, were built at this time and complete the estate. Nestled in a small French-style park and surrounded by a charming rose garden, a remarkable Guillot-Pelletier greenhouse was installed in the grounds of Château de Bouthonvilliers around 1870. The elegance of its symmetrical architecture has earned Bouthonvilliers its place on the Monuments Historiques list.
VMF award for restoration of château roofs and greenhouse
After his father’s death in 2014, Édouard de Verdun inherited the estate. He left the West Indies, where he had been living for 8 years, and moved to Bouthonvillliers with his wife Alexia and three young children in 2015. To restore and maintain the château, he created a seasonal rental and reception business. The Groupe Mercure-VMF Prize of 5,000 euros recognizes this commitment and will be used to finance urgent work on the roof of the main dwelling, which has not been restored in 100 years. Édouard and Alexia also wish to restore the garden’s magnificent greenhouse.
“While the health crisis means we can’t “physically” present the prize this year, this in no way diminishes our commitment to safeguarding our heritage. We’re delighted to be able to contribute again this year and support the restoration of this magnificent château,” says Olivier de Chabot-Tramecourt, Managing Director of Mercure Forbes Global Properties.
