Le Château de Ferrières was built between 1855 and 1859 by Baron James de Rothschild. Rothschild ownership of the Château de Ferrières was passed down through the male line according to the rule of primogeniture. Considered the most important 19th century château in France, it is located in Ferrières-en-Brie about 26 km east of Paris.
Sitting at the crest of a long entry drive, the château was designed by the architect Joseph Paxton. The inspiration for the design of Ferrières was Mentmore Towers the house Paxton built for Baron James de Rothschild's cousin Mayer Amschel de Rothschild. On seeing Mentmore, Baron James is reputed to have summonsed Paxton and ordered "Build me a Mentmore... but twice the size!"
Was built in the Italian Renaissance style, with square towers at each corner, a formal terrace gives way to a landscaped park and 1.25 km² of gardens that were part of a surrounding 30 km² forest. The sculpting of the interior atlas columns and caryatids was by Charles Cordier and the decorative painting supervised by Eugène Lami. The showpiece central hall is 37 m long and 18 m high, its roof a full glass skylight. The massive library held more than 8,000 volumes. Because lavish entertaining was important, in addition to the private Rothschild apartments, the Château de Ferrières was built with eighty guest suites.
In 1959 Guy de Rothschild and his new wife, Marie Hélène set about refurbishing Ferrières. Their efforts saw it once again became the place where European nobility mingled with Hollywood movie stars at grand soirées. In 1975, Guy de Rothschild and his wife donated the château to the chancellery of the University of Paris.
Sitting at the crest of a long entry drive, the château was designed by the architect Joseph Paxton. The inspiration for the design of Ferrières was Mentmore Towers the house Paxton built for Baron James de Rothschild's cousin Mayer Amschel de Rothschild. On seeing Mentmore, Baron James is reputed to have summonsed Paxton and ordered "Build me a Mentmore... but twice the size!"
Was built in the Italian Renaissance style, with square towers at each corner, a formal terrace gives way to a landscaped park and 1.25 km² of gardens that were part of a surrounding 30 km² forest. The sculpting of the interior atlas columns and caryatids was by Charles Cordier and the decorative painting supervised by Eugène Lami. The showpiece central hall is 37 m long and 18 m high, its roof a full glass skylight. The massive library held more than 8,000 volumes. Because lavish entertaining was important, in addition to the private Rothschild apartments, the Château de Ferrières was built with eighty guest suites.In 1959 Guy de Rothschild and his new wife, Marie Hélène set about refurbishing Ferrières. Their efforts saw it once again became the place where European nobility mingled with Hollywood movie stars at grand soirées. In 1975, Guy de Rothschild and his wife donated the château to the chancellery of the University of Paris.
