Exterior view
by PAXTON, Joseph, Photo
Château de Ferri�res was built between 1855 and 1859 for Baron James de Rothschild by Joseph Paxton. The inspiration for the design was Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, England, the house that Paxton had built for Baron James’s cousin, Mayer Amschel de Rothschild.
Built in the Neo-Renaissance style with square towers at each corner, the house sits on a formal terrace that gives way to 1.25 km2 of gardens in a parkland landscaped a l’anglaise that was part of a surrounding 30 km2 forest contained in the estate. The showpiece central hall is 37 m long and 18 m high, its roof a full glass skylight. The sculpting of the interior atlas columns and caryatids was by Charles Henri Joseph Cordier, and the decorative painting was supervised by Eug�ne Lami. The massive library held more than 8,000 volumes. The Château was inaugurated 16 December 1862 with a gala attended by Napoleon III.
The photo shows the Ball Room.