Château de la Fresnaye, Historical castle in Falaise, France

The Château de la Fresnaye is a Renaissance castle in Falaise, Calvados, built in the 16th century and remodelled by the André family in 1750, with its present facade dating from 1779. The long, low stone building has a pale yellow-beige front, a steep grey slate roof with dormer windows and stone chimneys, and a slightly projecting central section topped by a triangular pediment. Its symmetrical rows of tall white-framed windows, red flower boxes and two pairs of light blue doors face a patch of grass.

Built in the 16th century as a Renaissance château, La Fresnaye was sold in July 1640 with its manor house and other buildings to Nicolas Vauquelin, lord of Nécy. A further purchase brought it to the André family in 1678, when three buildings were recorded. The André family rebuilt it in 1750, and the present facade dates from 1779. The town of Falaise took over the building in 1985/1986.

The reception rooms, salons, dining rooms and bedrooms have kept part of their original decoration. Since the town of Falaise took over the building in 1985/1986, these rooms have been used for exhibitions; the white banner reading "EXPOSITION" hangs beneath the central pediment. The château was long surrounded by a 14-hectare English-style park, which no longer exists.

The château stands in Falaise, in the Calvados department of Normandy. Its reception rooms, salons, dining rooms and bedrooms are used for exhibitions, so check locally for opening times before travelling. The town lies south of Caen, and the building is a classified monument historique.

The 14-hectare English-style park that once surrounded the château no longer exists. The town of Falaise took over the building in 1985/1986, and the reception rooms, salons, dining rooms and bedrooms, which kept part of their original decoration, are now used for exhibitions — hence the "EXPOSITION" banner on the facade.