Château de Vallière

Built from 1894, for the 11th Duke and Duchess (Marguerite de Rothschild) of Gramont. Having purchased the "Grand Park" laid out by Joseph Bonaparte on 3,700-acres to the north of his beloved Chateau de Mortefontaine, they set about building their palatial home overlooking one of the lakes. By his first wife, the Duke was the father of the "Red Duchess" who was famous for her lesbian partnership with the American playwright Natalie Clifford Barney. The chateau and its stunning parkland remained in the Gramont family until 1982. It is still privately owned today, but it is almost impossible to catch a glimpse of either the chateau or its gardens.