The Château de la Roche-Jagu is a 15th century fortified house located in the commune of

Ploëzal Ploëzal (; br, Pleuzal) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administra ...

in the Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, France. Since 1958, it has been owned and managed by the Council of the department of the Côtes-d'Armor who restored the château in 1968. Its extensive grounds are managed as a public park and the château itself houses exhibitions, concerts and other public events. Its situation on a steep

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

on the west bank of the estuary of the Trieux, gives it a commanding view of the surrounding area and in particular of the river which it was historically able to control.

The Château

The oldest parts of the Château de la Roche-Jagu were built at the end of the Middle Ages. The walkway running along the rear of the building, overlooking the river enabled defence of the house and control of traffic on the river Trieux. The house consists of a single building whose entrance is through a door surmounted by a niche. The first floor still has its stone mullioned windows but the second and higher floors are set back and the roof has been extensively reworked. The ground floor kitchen is the only room kept in its original state. Its situation at the top of the steep, westerly bank of the river Trieux, the château provides an exceptional view on the surroundings and in particular of the river which it formerly controlled all passage and trade on. The château was classified as an historical monument on June 25, 1930 then the wall, the gate and the pavilions which frame it on January 27, 1969. The château is currently managed by the Departmental Council of Côtes-d'Armor who have owned it since 1958, following the bequest of Viscount Gaetan d'Ales to the State. The Château houses guided visits, themed exhibitions, cultural events and shows. During the summer of 2006, the exhibition concerned

Flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

, a plant that was long cultivated and made into

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

and lace in Brittany. The summer of 2018 saw an exhibition on the odyssey of spices.

Gardens

The 30-hectare park and gardens are organised around a 350 year old oak tree in the main courtyard. There are three marked walkways starting from this oak tree each with its own theme: water (the source of the Stanco, the horse basin, the old retting basins), the path of the Orient (palm grove) and the Silver Rock. A promontory offers a panoramic view over the estuary of the Trieux. A forest area, an oak grove, medieval-inspired gardens (vegetable garden, medicinal plant garden, the bouquetier) and a set of 350 varieties of camellias make up the main part of the garden completed by the oaks collection, rose garden and various plants: honeysuckle, jasmine and wisteria as well as vine. The different spaces are delimited by fascines and braided plants. Wrought iron sculptures, line the paths leading to the promontory and a sculpture by

Beatrice Coron Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated c ...

, "Voyage Intérieur", is installed in the historical garden. In 1987, a storm devastated the park, following which the landscape gardener Bertrand Paulet led the restoration. The park and gardens of la Roche-Jagu are free to visit, and nature workshops are also organised. These contemporary gardens of medieval inspiration were designed by the landscape designer Bertrand Paulet. They have been designated since 2005 and since January 2017, the park has also been designated as an "Écojardin", thus rewarding the ecological management of the site and its respect for biodiversity.

Gallery

File:Chateau de La Roche Jagu (22).JPG, Frontage of the château File:Château de la Roche-Jagu-6139.jpg, Defensive ironwork File:Park of La Roche Jagu (Brittany, France).jpg, The horse basin File:France Cotes d Armor Roche Jagu 02.jpg, The château seen from the horse basin File:France Cotes d Armor Roche Jagu jardin 01.jpg, The gardens of the château File:France Cotes d Armor Roche Jagu jardin 04.jpg, The gardens of the château File:Château de la Roche-Jagu- Les Jardins-6099.jpg, Vegetable garden File:Château de la Roche-Jagu iron lady.jpg, Iron sculpture in the gardens File:Château de la Roche-Jagu wickerwork lady.jpg,

Wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

work figure of a woman in the grounds File:Château de la Roche-Jagu.jpg, Tower of the château File:Détail tourelle Château de la Roche-Jagu - Côtes d'Armor - FRANCE.JPG, Detail of the tower File:La Roche-Jagu à Ploëzal - 32.jpg, Timberwork in the

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

File:La Roche-Jagu - Parc 01.jpg, Water source on walkway in the park File:Château de la Roche-Jagu view of Trieux river.jpg, River Trieux from rear of the château looking downstream File:La Roche-Jagu à Ploëzal - 31.jpg, River Trieux, seen from the château

The Château

Gardens

Gallery

References

Further reading