Jeu de paume, Historical sports facility in Chinon, France

The Jeu de paume in Chinon is a single-volume hall about 30 by 10.5 metres, rising 8 metres to the eaves and 10.5 metres to the ridge, opening east onto the Rue du Jeu de paume. Its eight-bay timber roof frame rests on the clerestory supports above the side walls and carries a slate roof, with a projecting roof sheltering the eastern gable and door. The walls, about 0.60 metres thick, are largely irregular rubble where the original tuffeau ashlar has been replaced.

Built in the second half of the 16th century, the hall's roof frame was dendrochronologically dated to 1587-1590, when it was rented to a neighbouring innkeeper. Its use for jeu de paume lasted under a century; from the mid-17th century it became a saltpetre workshop, as a 1661 graffiti by its operator records. It was later a military riding school (1764), a carriage garage after the Revolution, a drug warehouse after World War II and a poultry merchant's store in the 1980s. Inscribed as a monument historique in 2015, it was bought in 2017 by a British enthusiast who began restoring it.

The hall's name survives in the street it opens onto, Rue du Jeu de paume, called Rue du Manège in the 18th century after its use as a military riding school. The 2021 archaeological survey found the terracotta-tiled playing area and the foundations of a spectators' gallery, and patches of the black paint that once covered the walls to make the ball's flight and bounce easier to follow.

The building is located on Rue du Jeu-de-Paume and is undergoing restoration work following its registration as a historical monument. Visitors should be aware that interior access may be limited, and checking local information about visiting hours before arriving is advisable.

The 2021 archaeological survey uncovered the terracotta-tiled playing surface and the foundations of a spectators' gallery beneath later floors. Traces of the black paint once covering the walls, applied to follow the ball's path and impacts, survive in places.