Format : 15 x 22 cm              ISBN 2-902091-01.8
64 pages                               Prix public TC : 59.00 FF
70 illustrations - 60 planches quadri
Edité en 1989
carte et index de 47 noms
Version anglaise
 
 

Ecrit par Philippe Seydoux
Traduit par Sylvie Carter et Michael Hoare
 
 
 

Descriptif

    Philippe Seydoux is not only a well known historian of French architecture but he is also a publisher (Editions de La Morande) entirely and generously devoted to the preservation of French heritage - historical castles and gardens. With the artistic eye of an expert, he has covered part of the regions of Northwest France with a  series of booklets presenting in full colours the valuable chateaux of the department or area concerned, including a short history of each one, details on the owners, works in process and useful datas for the visitor.

    The two small and elegant volumes on Normandy are rather different: they are oriented towards the English speaking visitor of France who is most interested by the castles, houses and gardens regularly open to the public or open on specific occasions such as exhibitions, festivals, etc... British visitors will be most interested by famous chateaux and gardens like Balleroy in Calvados owned by Mr Malcolm Forbes, or Le Parc des Moutiers near Dieppe whose house built by the great Sir Edwin Lutyens sets so wonderfully in the gorgeous gardens (designed by Gertrude Jekyll) rolling down from the plateau de Caux to the edges of the Channel. Not to speak of course of Monet’s Giverny or of Harcourt this medieval castle surrounded by a wonderful arboretum, property of the Academie d’Agriculture de France.

    Several of these chateaux of Normandy are not only by themselves masterpieces of French art, but also their owners tend to use them as art centers such as Vascoeuil near Rouen famous for its painting exhibitions, le Valasse near Le Havre on the Norman Abbeys Road, or Martainville one of the most fascinating museums on the traditional ways of life in Normandy. The visitor of the beautiful garden of Canon, east of Caen, should devote a certain time to the permanent exhibition of garden design between 1760 and 1820.

    In the two volumes - one for East Normandy and the other for West Normandy - are mentioned the châteaux-hôtels that accomodates guests: the best way of becoming familiar with French way of life.
 
 

    Après 4 recueils sur les châteux et Manoirs de Normandie sélectionnés en fonction de leur intérêt architectural, Philippe Seydoux propose cette année une formulenouvelle consacrée aux sites accessibles au public et couvrant toute la Normandie. Destinée à un large public d'amateurs d'art et d'histoire, cette publication recense les monuments régulièrement ouverts aux visites individuelles, ceux que l'on peut découvrir à l'occasion de manifestations particulières, et aussi les châteaux-hôtels. Un large part est réservée aux parcs et jardins, bien représentés dans le Cotantin par Nacqueville et Martinvast. Pour plus de maniabilité, la normandie a été répartie en deux fascicules correspondant approximativement aux régions administratives.
    Chacun de ces deux fascicules entièrement illustré en couleur, existe en deux versions, française et anglaise. Nul doute que cette nouvelle formule ne contribue efficacement au développement du tourisme culturel en Normandie.
La Manche Libre    16/07/89