Photo : Franck devedjian / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Wideville
The Château de Wideville, in the Yvelines, is in the Louis XIII style. The name may come from a companion of William the Conqueror, Hugues de Guideville, which lost its 'G' to become Udeville, then Videville in 1366; the name Wideville also exists in England. The estate belonged to René de Longueil, Marquis de Maisons, governor of Saint-Germain.
In 1579 the heirs of Pierre Picquet, treasurer of the Queen of Navarre, sold the estate to Benoît Milon, first intendant of finances to Henri III and later finance manager of the Catholic League. From 1580 to 1584 he built the present château on the site of an old manor, following the 'country houses' of Jacques Androuet du Cerceau's book of architecture for those wishing to build in the country. The château was altered in 1620 by Claude de Bullion, superintendent of finances to Louis XIII, who had the gardens redesigned and embellished with follies. Half a century later Noël de Bullion enlarged the estate and built the dovecote.
