Château de Lanniron

Château de Lanniron belonged to the bishops of Quimper since the 12th century. In the 15th century, Lord Bertrand de Rosmadec erected a new manor which his successors used until the end of the 18th century either as a permanent residence or a summer residence. In the 17th century, Lord François de Coëtlogon extended the property. He will be remembered not only for his great deeds as a bishop but also for creating wonderful gardens.

The main embellishments of Lanniron were the large canal, the fountains, the ornamental Lake of Neptune and the Orangerie which is now the place for concerts during the musical weeks of Quimper. Also Lord Ploeuc and Lord Farcy beautified Lanniron and the manor was extended.

During the revolution, Lanniron sadly declined and it was subsequently sold by the State in 1791. It was looted, it had several owners for about 10 years and Emmanuel Harrington converted the manor to a Palladian residence. From plannings, that were drawn in London, we can deduce that Harrington wanted to modernise the gardens by removing the terraces. Fortunately, he did not have the necessary time to execute his project.

Charles de Kerret, the grandfather of the present owners, became the owner of Lanniron in 1833. He also brought back Sequoïas and Wellingtonias. Lanniron suffered a lot during the German occupation in the last war. Around 1950 one of the main features of the big canal, its water, was deprived. The camping site of Orangerie de Lanniron was created in 1969 in order to maintain the survival of the property and to attract tourists to the banks of the River Odet and its region.

References:

• Château de Lanniron

Address

Allée de Lanniron 85-90, Quimper, France

Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Valois Dynasty and Hundred Year's War (France)