The Audience Pavilion and the greenhouses
Standing discreetly at the far reaches of the garden, the Audience Pavilion and greenhouses bear the memory of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Audience
The “Audience” is a small, slate-roofed, neoclassical pavilion built in the 18th century by the Marquis of Castellane, on the south side of the estate. It is the counterpart of the pavilion that was added to the second level of the château at the same time, through which visitors enter the gardens. This kind of ornamental structure, known as a fabrique, was one of the elements of 18th-century French formal gardens (“jardins à la française”). In this charming building, the Marquis would “grant an audience” to the farmers and peasants who worked his lands. It was completely renovated in 2004.
The 19th century greenhouses
At the end of the 19th century, greenhouses were installed at Villandry by the Hainguerlot family. Their construction was extraordinarily modern. Indeed, at the dawn of the 20th century, metal and glass architecture was the latest fashion in European construction methods. The ability to make curved glass was very recent. This technical advance made it possible to give greenhouse roofs a rounded shape that optimises the amount of sunlight for more successful sowings.
Two other structures were added later to allow the gardeners to grow 60,000 flower and vegetable plants that account for about half of everything planted in the gardens throughout the year.
Gardeners first sow seeds, then transplant seedlings. As space is limited, additional plants come from local producers.
Examples of sowings carried out in Villandry’s greenhouses: lettuces, verbena venosa, tomatoes, leeks, celeriac, celery parcel, blue salvia, aubergines, peppers, cabbage (Buscaro, Vitessa, Redbor, Pigeon Purple, Pigeon White)
Virtual tour of the gardens of Villandry
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