history
The History of Château des Tesnières
From 1860 until the present day, Château des Tesnières has lived a fairytale spanning more than 150 years.
In order to most appreciate this dream-like chateau in the countryside of Brittany, it is important to understand the rich history of this majestic property.
Tucked away in one of the most beautiful regions in the world, Château des Tesnières is situated on the border of Brittany, the Loire Valley and Normandy. The word tesnières refers to a place where there are badger burrows. Lords of this name are mentioned as early as 1196 in Torcé. Until 1609 two residences coexisted, Haute Tesnière and Basse Tesnière, which were then united by the Malherbe family. Previously, in 1513, Basse Tesnière, a house ennobled around 1436 by Duke Jean V, belonged to the Godarts and Haute Tesnière to Le Ludre. Subsequently, the Tesnières passed to the Guillaudeus (owners in 1637) and then to the de Langles (circa 1697)
1800
Paris
Château des Tesnières was built in the 1860ies by count Ferdinand de Langle and his brother Alphonse. Ever since 1697, their family was the owner of the Tesnières area with its old manor house. The estate was vast with many farmhouses, a coach house, stables, a gatehouse and a forest. After the construction of the château, the manor house was demolished and its remains were used to build the outbuildings.
1900
Paris
Alphonse married Marie de Rancher and they had two sons, Yves and Henri. Yves inherited the estate and married Berthe Caillebot de la Salle. They got three sons, but entered a very sad period for the family. Berthe died at the age of 40 and two of their three sons got killed during the First World War.
Their youngest son, Pierre, inherited the estate and married Magdeleine Barbier de Lescoët. After WWII they moved to Rennes with their eight children. Château des Tesnières was neglected for a long time and the heirs had no other option than sell the house after their parents’ death.
2000
Paris
In 1976, Parisians Mr and Mrs Carret bought the Château and then went about overseeing the repair and restoration of the sadly dilapidated house. They were the owners and caretakers of the home up until their passing. Coming from the Netherlands, Siebren Boon and John Demandt bought the property and settled into the Château in 2002.
2010
Paris
From 2004, Siebrien and John re-opened the Chateau to guests, offering them a luxurious bed and breakfast experience which attracted many international guests, eager to experience the French-style chateau life.
After a run of owning the Chateau for nearly 20 years, Siebren and James sold the property to Chantel Dartnall and her family in 2021.
A new chapter
“We are honoured to make this enchanting property, with its exquisite scenery, our new home and sanctuary. Since it is situated in the countryside it will become our haven of tranquility when we want to spend some quiet time away from the buzzing, beautiful Paris…The city of lights that never sleeps.”
– Chef Chantel Dartnall
