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| Restoring the gardens of Versailles to be fit for a king once more | Restoring the gardens of Versailles to be fit for a king once more |
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| On this January morning the air at Versailles is icy, the damp particularly penetrating. These were once marshes, before André Le Nôtre turned them into archetypal French-style gardens. To mark the 400th anniversary of his birth, the Petit Parc – Louis XIV's pleasure garden – is being restored to the state in which it was at the end of his reign, in 1715. | On this January morning the air at Versailles is icy, the damp particularly penetrating. These were once marshes, before André Le Nôtre turned them into archetypal French-style gardens. To mark the 400th anniversary of his birth, the Petit Parc – Louis XIV's pleasure garden – is being restored to the state in which it was at the end of his reign, in 1715. |
| By all accounts, Joël Cottin, who has been working here for the past 30 years and now heads the Versailles gardens, shares the same genial disposition and team spirit associated with his mentor Le Nôtre. | By all accounts, Joël Cottin, who has been working here for the past 30 years and now heads the Versailles gardens, shares the same genial disposition and team spirit associated with his mentor Le Nôtre. |
| The long table in his office near the Orangerie is covered with a copy of the overall plan of the gardens drawn up by Jean Chaufourier in 1720 at the request of Louis XV. For the past 10 years it has served as a benchmark for Cottin, who is tasked with gradually restoring the gardens to their original state. Two storms, in 1990 and 1999, uprooted 11,500 trees, prompting the decision to put the clock back. | The long table in his office near the Orangerie is covered with a copy of the overall plan of the gardens drawn up by Jean Chaufourier in 1720 at the request of Louis XV. For the past 10 years it has served as a benchmark for Cottin, who is tasked with gradually restoring the gardens to their original state. Two storms, in 1990 and 1999, uprooted 11,500 trees, prompting the decision to put the clock back. |
| "It was no longer a garden, more like a small forest, with trees standing 30 metres high," Cottin recalls, pointing out the roofs of the château and royal chapel that are once more visible above the greenery. The Romantic style of the gardens, in keeping with 19th- and 20th-century tastes, had completely hidden Le Nôtre's intricate designs. | "It was no longer a garden, more like a small forest, with trees standing 30 metres high," Cottin recalls, pointing out the roofs of the château and royal chapel that are once more visible above the greenery. The Romantic style of the gardens, in keeping with 19th- and 20th-century tastes, had completely hidden Le Nôtre's intricate designs. |
| The Petit Parc boasts 600 fountains and pools, and 300 statues arranged around the "grand perspective", which leads down the middle of the gardens, gently sloping from the terrace outside the palace to the far end of the Grand Canal. | The Petit Parc boasts 600 fountains and pools, and 300 statues arranged around the "grand perspective", which leads down the middle of the gardens, gently sloping from the terrace outside the palace to the far end of the Grand Canal. |
| Forty kilometres of hornbeam hedges – trimmed to a height of eight metres and reinforced by fencing held together by the traditional copper wire – mark the outlines of the garden, some dead straight, others forming complex arabesque designs. About 900 ornamental yew trees, sporting 70 different outlines – balls, cubes and cones – set off the white marble statues. Quite a few of the latter were taken from Vaux le Vicomte, once the property of finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, who was imprisoned by the youthful Louis XIV on suspicion of trying to outdo his master, such was the splendour of his country estate. | Forty kilometres of hornbeam hedges – trimmed to a height of eight metres and reinforced by fencing held together by the traditional copper wire – mark the outlines of the garden, some dead straight, others forming complex arabesque designs. About 900 ornamental yew trees, sporting 70 different outlines – balls, cubes and cones – set off the white marble statues. Quite a few of the latter were taken from Vaux le Vicomte, once the property of finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, who was imprisoned by the youthful Louis XIV on suspicion of trying to outdo his master, such was the splendour of his country estate. |
| Moving down the central alley, passing flower beds and pools, the decor changes constantly, playing on the ornamental shrubs, their reflection in the water and the many sculptures. | Moving down the central alley, passing flower beds and pools, the decor changes constantly, playing on the ornamental shrubs, their reflection in the water and the many sculptures. |
| Since 1995, when the Public Establishment of the Versailles Estate was started, €60m ($81m) has been spent on restoring the gardens, not to mention the €3m spent every year on just maintaining the 800-hectare walled enclosure. Nor does this include expenditure on restoring fountains, pools, art work – funded by private sponsors – and the kilometres of vintage plumbing. | Since 1995, when the Public Establishment of the Versailles Estate was started, €60m ($81m) has been spent on restoring the gardens, not to mention the €3m spent every year on just maintaining the 800-hectare walled enclosure. Nor does this include expenditure on restoring fountains, pools, art work – funded by private sponsors – and the kilometres of vintage plumbing. |
| On the day Le Monde visited, the gardeners were working on the Latona basin, which is being refurbished at a cost of €8m. Water collects here in underground galleries, then feeds surrounding fountains and ponds. The existing rose garden will be removed and replaced by ornamental shrubs, in line with the initial design. | On the day Le Monde visited, the gardeners were working on the Latona basin, which is being refurbished at a cost of €8m. Water collects here in underground galleries, then feeds surrounding fountains and ponds. The existing rose garden will be removed and replaced by ornamental shrubs, in line with the initial design. |
| • This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde | • This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde |
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