Registration for Historic Monuments 2018 (≈ 2018)
Official protection of the castle and its estate.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following elements composing the castle of the Woods, according to the right-of-way delimited by a red line on the plan annexed to the decree, in whole: the house with its adjoining chapel; the dovecote; the support walls of the terraces, the fence wall and the small turret in latrines; the greenhouse-orangery, the plate ground of the old gardens and the large monospecific driveway, the facades and roofs of the common building closing the courtyard, facing the dovecote. The whole in the cadastre section C on plots n°488, 491 to 494: inscription by order of 21 June 2018.
Origin and history
Château des Bois, also known as Les Bois, is a historical monument located in the municipality of Vimartin-sur-Orthe, Mayenne (Land of the Loire). This castle consists of a house with adjoining chapel, a dovecote, retaining walls, an orange greenhouse, and a large driveway, all listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments since 2018. The protected right-of-way covers several cadastral parcels, reflecting the architectural and landscape importance of the site.
The estate illustrates the typical organization of the seigneurial or bourgeois properties of the past centuries, where the main home was often accompanied by utility dependencies (pigeons, commons) and structured green spaces. These ensembles played a central role in local life, combining residential, agricultural and sometimes religious functions, as evidenced by the chapel integrated into the castle.
The official protection of 2018 covers both buildings (façades, roofs) as well as landscape elements such as terraces, fence walls, and a monospecific driveway. These details underline the desire to preserve not only architecture, but also the historical environment of the castle, characteristic of contemporary approaches to heritage conservation.
The castle remains a private property, which limits its accessibility to the public. The information available does not specify whether visits, room rentals or guest rooms are offered, although these uses are common for this type of monument in order to ensure its economic sustainability.
The location of the castle, between Saint-Pierre-sur-Orthe and Vimartin-sur-Orthe, reflects a sometimes ambiguous geographical location for rural monuments, where communal boundaries and postal addresses may vary. This particularity is common in low-density areas, where hamlets or such places extend over several communes.
Finally, registration for Historic Monuments in 2018 marks an official recognition of the heritage value of the site. It allows us to consider restoration or enhancement measures, while framing future modifications to preserve its authenticity.
