Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Bois-Rouaud, located in Chaumes-en-Retz (Loire-Atlantique), has its origins in the 15th century, with remains of a feudal fortress embedded in its walls. The site, redesigned in 1865 to install a stud and reconstruct an estate, was completely rebuilt in 1905 by architect Alfred Coulomb for the Marquis Jacques de Juigné. The gardens, designed by Édouard André (1865) and then his son René (circa 1913), complete this exemplary estate, marked by 18th-century panels and an evocative roof.

The castle is linked to noble families such as the Rouaud, descendants of Vikings, or the Juigné, who made it a place of agricultural and equestrian innovation. In 1944, it temporarily housed Social Insurance after the bombing of Nantes. Joined the Historical Monuments in 2001, it remains today an active stud, owned by the family of Durfort, heiress of the Juigné.

The history of Bois-Rouaud also reflects the regional upheavals: ruined during the Vendée wars, it was restored in the 19th century by Count Gustave de Juigné, who created an award-winning stud and racing company. The walls of the living room, attributed to the father of David d'Angers, and those of the dining room, from the Jockey Club in Paris (1912), bear witness to his architectural prestige.

The estate, an agrarian model in the 19th century, hosted 19 farmers in 1977. Its park, with its protected elements (gates, bridge, water room), and its roof in the shape of an "old helmet", make it a heritage and living site, always dedicated to equestrian breeding.

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