The Château de Vendeuvre (pronounced [ʃɑto də vɑ̃dœvʁ]) is situated in the commune of Vendeuvre, near to Lisieux in Normandy. Classed as a Historic Monument both for its exterior and interior,^[1] Vendeuvre is a prototypical aristocratic Norman country house. It was opened to the public in 1983.

• State rooms giving a taste of daily life in the 18th century.
• The extensive museum of miniature furniture.
• 18th-century kitchens.
• A collection of furniture and bedding for pampered pets.
• Formal, utility and water gardens.
• A shell-lined grotto.
• Pavilions and follies

Vendeuvre was built between 1750 and 1752 from the plans of architect Jacques-François Blondel and is a great example of a country house (maison de campagne) of the eighteenth century. Its owner, Alexandre Le Forestier, ‘'seigneur’' of Vendeuvre, coming from a Cotentin family that claimed descent from the Counts of Flanders, wanted a modern summer retreat built in the style of the day. The old manor-house was demolished, as it was damp (it was closer to the Dives river banks than the present building) and built partially into the hillside slope.

During the French Revolution, Alexander of Vendeuvre and his family lived at Rouen, their house at Caen having been burned down. As the family didn't emigrate during the Revolution, the chateau was saved from destruction, thus preserving the original décor and most of the furnishings.

The château is famous for its eighteenth-century interiors. Blondel paid particular attention to the highly sophisticated interior circulation and decoration. The facade is deliberately not ostentatious, as, according to Blondel, in his influential architectural thesis,^[2] ‘it is absolutely vital to avoid useless ornamentation and excessive facades that detract from the quality of what is inside’. After the château was damaged during the Second World War, the present Count of Vendeuvre, a direct descendant of Alexander of Vendeuvre, set about the complete internal and exterior renovation of the chateau. The slate roof was re-laid in 1945. Following the completion of the interior renovation, the park's restoration followed in 1970, using the original 1813 plans as a basis for the garden's classic French style. In 1983 the Orangery was restored to its former state, having also been badly damaged as a result of action during the war.

In the presentation of the château, each room presents a theme of eighteenth century daily life. Automatons (mannequins with recordings) point out the salient features of each room:

• The dining room demonstrates the art of receiving and entertaining guests.
• The state bedroom, with many wardrobes, is devoted to dressing and make-up. The automaton represents a lady of the time, enjoying the pleasures of washing and dressing in her boudoir.
• The office exhibits paraphernalia associated with writing. .
• The small parlour displays family portraits.
• The Grand Salon shows the pleasures of indoor games.

The chateau's plan shows that it is twice as wide as it is deep, with a suite of state rooms distributed around a central hall supported by Ionic columns. The layout of the suites (each leads to the next) and the rounding of all the corners, help to spread the natural light throughout each room. The quality of the wood panelling in the main room is remarkable. The furniture is a comprehensive list of 18th century craftsmanship.

There are many curiosities too: a chandelier with real goldfish in a bowl, a travelling enema kit and a ‘'voyeuse’', a chair with a padded elbow-rest upon which elegant ladies would kneel or sit whilst playing indoor games, so as not to crumple the arrangement of their dresses over wide panniers.

Copper and tin vessels of all shapes and sizes, with old earthenware and faience containers, give the impression that this beautifully arranged kitchen could still be used. Under the stone vaulted ceiling, in the huge fireplace, stands a mechanical rotisserie, still in working order. In a corner of the fireplace there is an oven, which was used for broiling and pot-roasting. In the other corner of the fireplace, lumps of wood were permanently smoldering. These were transported, using large pans, to the oven opposite, or to one of the five smaller fireplaces situated in the wall opposite, where slow-cooked dishes, such as soups and sauces were prepared. Set into the wall of another corner is a smaller oven once used for pastry-baking. All the wood ash would have been collected and sifted for use in the household laundry.

In a room next to the kitchen is a unique collection of pet-carriers, baskets and kennels. Small dogs and cats were the object of much care and attention, as testified by the refinement and variety of sumptuous places in which they lived, slept and travelled. Some were even provided with bedding matched to the full-sized furniture of the room in which they were placed, others were miniature versions of the furniture, but gilded. Some of the very ornate kennels had three compartments. The cat's bed, in the photograph opposite, is à la polonaise with a dais and drawn-up curtains, and was made for one of the daughters of Louis XV of France for her pet. Louis XV himself had a King Charles Spaniel called Filou (Rascal). Its bed was a cushion of crimson velvet and it wore a gold collar encrusted with diamonds. Louis XV said of his dog: “He’s the only thing in the world that likes me for myself”. These small ‘pet-dwellings’ are extremely rare and unusual reminders of times past, when pets were often looked after better than the workers of the estate.