chateau-sur-mer

It was nice to visit one of the Newport Mansions that was used a a proper home. We liked the wood panelling, the huge variety of furnishing and decorations and especially the staircase and skylight. So much thought and care went into creating this house and it is great to still be able to take a brief glimpse into such a different world.

This mansion is an unusual amalgamation of interior styles. I will liken it to the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, Ca. Someone who thought they could decorate, threw together a bunch of international genres and expensive furniture and gave it a fancy French name. The condescending docent didn't help. Interesting.

We bought an "any two mansions" pass and decded to do the Breakers and then Chateau-sur-mer, the latter being something very different. Unlike the Breakers we were not allowed to wander but once into the tour it is not hard to see why. The house is on a smaller scale and would not handle large parties well. Our guide, an elderly gentlemen with vast knowledge of the house and people who occupied it, made it a very interesting tour, the house being in such stark contrast to the grandeur and excessive nature of the Breakers. The large garden is also worth a look with some wonderful old trees, tastefully labelled for the non-tree people.

This is one of the places my adult daughter would love to have her reception. The last time I was there, there was a young woman discussing her up-coming reception with the mansion wedding planner.The view from the back of the mansion's ballroom onto the sound is magnificent. I have stood in this mansion for many visits and am still amazed. A design of beauty.

It's a lovely home and the society has clearly taken great care in restoring and preserving the property and furnishings. When we arrived we were informed that it is a guided tour and the next one would begin shortly so we went to wait in the room off to the side. It was a nice space with plenty to look at, including photographs and art, and there was a screen playing an informative video about the Newport mansions. When the tour started, things went downhill. Our guide was difficult to understand unless you were standing very close and paying very close attention. There were too many people in the group to be able to actually stand near enough to know what was being said half the time. Also, many of the rooms are simply a "walk in a few feet and turn around to walk out" roped off area. There were a few rooms that the entire group couldn't even fit into because of this and the guide would talk about the room, the family, whatever...but those of us not inside couldn't understand what was being said nor could we see the space. More than once, we ducked in really quickly as the group moved on because we at least wanted a peek at the rooms.I'd suggest that an ideal tour group size would be no more than six people so that everyone can see and hear everything. Also, the guides could use both elocution and projection lessons.

From start to finish this was an excellent tour. Instead of an audio tour, we had a member of the Preservation Society guide us through this home. Her enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge of this home and its family made its history come to life! Chateau-Sur-Mer is a must see! The beauty of this home is breathtaking, but in a much different way than that of The Breakers! (which we also toured) Beautiful and ornate, with an interesting history and so many influences from Italy, the Orient, and the Victorian era....you can truly imagine the family living here! I truly didn't want this tour to end.

The Chateau is a different mansion and so is the tour. Unlike the 4 others we visited, there were no headset-guided tours; this one actually had a very knowledgeable in-the-flesh gentleman who talked us through. Enjoyed his somewhat cynical sense of humor as we learned the history of this wonderfully restored Victorian. I really enjoyed seeing the architectural "tricks" they employed to make the house appear even grander than it was (ask the tour guide as you view the opening to the third floor). And don't forget to check out the trees as you exit...

I was really looking forward to seeing this house. It looks so interesting from the outside and I had not been before. We bought Newport Preservation Memberships so that we could see all 10 houses for one low price. When we came to this one, we were the only car in the parking lot and I was THRILLED. But when we got into the house, they told us to wait 20 minutes for the tour. And in that time, almost 30 total people were there for that tour. And they kept letting more and more people join the tour after it started. The tour guide did a really good job trying to manage us, but we were an UNMANAGEABLE group. The front desk person was talking loud and we could not hear the tour leader. People were demanding to join the tour. People should learn to wait their turn in my opinion. If you go, don't be a jerk and try to ruin it for the other people.... So we walked through the house, I mostly saw other peoples head, backs, shoulders, etc because other people pushed themselves to the front. Then we left. I can't tell you one thing I really saw in this house or one thing I heard except the bathtub which is where we were single file. I remember a lot of the other people on the tour. It was the worst tour of all ten houses and I wanted to go back so I could see the house, but we didn't get a chance. I am sure it would have been nice if it wasn't for the mismanagement of the tour size and all the other pushy patrons. There were other really nice patrons, but if you get enough pushy ones, it ruins it for everyone.

Chateau-sur-Mer is a Victorian house and was lived in by the granddaughters of the man who had it built until their deaths, when the house was given to the historical society. It was designed by the architect who did The Breakers and in its great hall you can see the (much smaller) inspiration for later mansion. It seems very much a family home, and was really lived in - not simply inhabited for 8-12 weeks of "the season".

What makes the Chateau different is it was built by a rags to riches gentleman who didnt throw money at the exravegent but quality.This house is a summer home I guess but it seemed filled with a lot of personal artifacts from a family and the people who lived there were more than just the visiting rich.In true victorian style there is a lot to take in for the eyes. They have gone out of their way to keep as much original as possible and renovation or restoration seemed very natural.During the tour you will learn of the huge additions and renovations performed that changed.... I wont give it away. Lots of antiques and collectables everywhere. Grounds were a nice shady stroll.

We visited 5 mansions with the "Breakers" being the most exquisite. However, every other one except Chateau-sur-Mer had a prerecorded tour guide that we hung around our necks. This one had a docent who was able to tell us the history of the house, walk us around, and answer any questions. It was a nice break from the others. The size was smaller than the grand mansions, but that gave it a more homey atmosphere (some of the woodwork was absolutely stunning).

We to the Chateau after doing the Cliff Walk, so we were ready to see the one of mansions, up close and personal ! I was VERY appreciative of the restroom AND the paper cups to grab a drink from the bathroom faucet, and that was just the start to our very pleasant visit. Our docent took us from room to room, explaining what we were looking at, and the rarity of some of the decor. Each room was really well preserved and displayed. This is one of the older Newport mansions, being built in 1852 , by the Westmore family . As a lover of all things William Morris, I was happy to see that the Chateau sported a "Morris Chair" ( earliest known recliners ) and also the original WM wallpaper in the master bedroom. I was really very surprised and thrilled to see that wallpaper, if that makes me strange than so be it. Call me a textile geek, that's ok by me. We really enjoyed our Docent's dry sense of humor, and of course her vast knowledge about the family, the estate and its contents, and the time period that the family lived there. She was fabulous !! We also enjoyed walking around on the property and seeing all the gorgeous, OLD trees ! We learned that one thing these elite rich folks did, was to collect and preserve some very rare trees. Definitely worth a visit !!!

I wish the tour was audio and not guided. Interesting to see how the architecture differed from this home to the others. This home was built earlier, so it wasn't as grand as other nearby homes (I.e. Marble house).

This mansion is different from the others in that it is an earlier period and the interior design is Italianate-style villa. Some of the rooms are darker than the ostentatious Vanderbilt mansions. Each mansion is unique and worth the visit. This mansion also has a live tour instead of the audio tours. The live tours are on a schedule unlike the ad-hoc audio tours so plan accordingly to avoid downtime waiting for the next tour. We really enjoyed the outdoor landscaping. This mansion has the most impressive collection of trees. The grounds are decorated with unique trees from around the world. The most impressive are the weeping beeches which are huge. We enjoyed visiting this mansion.

Tours here will depend on the quality of the guide and the size of the tour group. Given that, this is an earlier large home built as the year round residence of its family. That makes it a very interesting contrast to the later, larger summer palaces. Maybe not the best choice for younger or older visitors however.