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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Fourchettes, located in Pocé-sur-Cisse in Indre-et-Loire, is an 18th-century rectangular building built at the foot of a tufted hillside. Originally, he served as a residence for Duke Étienne-François de Choiseul (1719–85), a prominent figure of the Ancien Régime. The estate, surrounded by a park of twenty hectares, includes a chapel, a dovecote and a terrace classified Historic Monuments since 1934. Its sober architecture, with one floor and a lofty attic, reflects the classical style of the era.

The castle knew several owners before being acquired in 1980 by Mick Jagger, singer of Rolling Stones, for 2.2 million francs. The latter has undertaken major renovations (estimated at 3 million euros), restaurant inside with antique furniture – including an Empire library and Louis XVI rooms – and redrawing the gardens. These now include a swimming pool, a waterfall pond with a Japanese pagoda, and a tennis court, under the direction of an English landscaper. The park chapel has also been renovated, and a hundred trees planted to preserve the privacy of the place.

Before Jagger, the castle belonged to noble families such as the Ardiller de La Brillonnière (XVI century), the Scarrons (circa 1700), or the Bridieus, lords of Saint-Germain (XVIII century). Marie-Catherine Le Boucher de Verdun, widow of Charles-Marie-Marthe de Bridieu, owned it on the eve of the French Revolution. These successions illustrate the aristocratic anchor of the estate before its transition to a contemporary celebrity.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1934 for its main building body, dovecote, chapel and terrace, the Château des Fourchettes now embodies a unique blend of French history and modernity. Its location near Amboise, in the heart of the Loire Valley, makes it a privileged witness to the architectural and landscape heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire region.

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