Château de Wideville, 17th century castle in Crespières, France.

Château de Wideville stands at the boundary of Crespières and Davron, 17 km west of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Benoît Milon had it built from 1580 to 1584 on the site of an older manor, to a plan 42 metres long and 8 metres wide excluding the end pavilions, with three storeys over a semi-buried vaulted basement for the kitchens and offices. The photograph shows the south facade: pale plaster walls with darker trim around regular rows of rectangular windows, a taller central block under a steep tiled roof with a lantern and tall chimneys, and a projecting pavilion at each end behind a low iron fence.

Benoît Milon, finance superintendent to Henri III, bought the estate on 18 February 1579 and had the present château built from 1580 to 1584 on the site of an older manor, following the 'maisons des champs' models of Jacques Androuet du Cerceau. In 1630 it passed to Claude de Bullion, Louis XIII's finance superintendent, who had the gardens redesigned and added a grotto. In 1870 the comte de Galard restored it without altering the main structure.

The ground floor rooms display painted ceiling beams created by Simon Vouet that add decorative details to the interior spaces. The artificial grotto in the gardens showcases mosaics and stucco work that create a theatrical garden feature.

The château stands on the boundary between Crespières and Davron, about 17 km west of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It is a private residence, so the house and gardens are not open to visitors; the south facade and cour d'honneur can be seen from behind the low iron fence along the road.

Fashion designer Valentino purchased the estate in 1995 and integrated a building to house the Valentino Garavani Archives into the complex. Landscape designers Wirtz International then redesigned the expansive gardens to complement this contemporary addition.