Chateau de Bourdeilles and de La Marthonie
There are two parts to the Château de Bourdeilles; the older part which was a defensive fortress and the newer part built as a luxury residence not a defensive castle Fortress. A sturdy fortress dating back
to the 13th century, constructed on a rocky spur and dominated by an octagonal keep. The octagonal keep is 35 meters high and has walls 2.4 meters thick and it dominates views of the village.
Episode 25 The Nightmare, The castle of Bourdeilles, Dordogne 2015
Bardolph is another victim of the course of the empire, he missed the apple and hit his son and became very frustrated. He became a bitter man and is against the empire. He is also against W. Tell. Every time his name
is mentioned he is confronted with his own failure. He tries to influence Matthew in his secret cellar, like he does with other young men. Make him believe Tell risked Matthew's life and wanted to be the hero. Tell meets
a stranger, that doesn't seemed that reliable. Then they seem to need each other and a special bond arises. They go to look for Bardolphe. Bardolph goes too far and finally works together with the Black Knight to get Tell
arrested. Then a 'nightmare' happened. Bardolph let Matthew shoot at his father.
Episode 'The Nightmare' starts with a shot of Bourdeilles: the 'fortified market'.
Location: Some scenes are shot inside this fortified castle, the other scenes were shot in front of chateau de la Marthonie.
In autumn colors
At the end of the 15th century Francois de Bourdeille, a descendent of the original owners of the castle bought it. Later in the 16th century the Renaissance Palace was constructed. One striking feature of this castle
is that the project was overseen by a woman, Jacquett de Montbron. In the following years the château changed hands several times and became a silk worm factory and a location for manufacturing and storing Saltpetre.
It fell into disrepair until in 1962 the last member of the Bourdeille family (who were once again the owners of the castle) gave it to the Dordogne department and two benefactors, Mr Santiard and Mrs Bulteau
restored the castle and installed their collection of antique furniture. Upon their deaths the Chateau de Bourdeilles was returned to the Department and is now open for visits.
2015 1987 Around 2015 Gate seen from the inside of the castle.
CHATEAU DE LA MARTHONIE
A sudden switch from the castle of Bourdeilles to the square in front of chateau de La Marthonie, St. Jean de Cole.
They shot on the square between the castle and church. They built up a little medieval market and they also did in Chateau de Bourdeilles.
They merged these two markets scenes together. Without making stills and knowing the castles I would not have noticed. Well done.
Above the caste of de La Marthonie and below Chateau de Bourdeilles.
Switch
Location and scene: They were entering the gate of Chateau de Bourdeilles (at number 2). The place Tell saved the monk and the place he met his spelled son.
The 'Alms for the poor' spot, at the entrance of the chateau
Scene: William puts himself unwittingly in the spotlight when he tries to help the man he met before. Then one of the Black Knight thinks he recognizes Tell. Spot 2. Right picture: Tell is at spot 7
At the gate of Bourdeilles 1987 the scene with the monk is behind this gate. 2015 inside the gate
Scene: Tell, who just spotted his son at the market, says: "It´s not safe here, let´s get out of here." Matthew: "Don't touch me! Bardolph is right. You failed me and you failed the people. Just leave me alone!
Square of St. Jean de Cole
Scene: Tell rescues the monk, who was begging illegally. Then one of the black knights think he recognizes Tell. Tell has to flew and runs into Matthew. He is glad to
see him and he asks him to come along with him. But Matthew has no intention of doing that. He is not the one he was before. Tell is flabbergasted. He is determined to find out what happened to him. Tell wants
the monk to do something in return. But the 'monk' quickly changed job again; peddling with old Greek vases. Tell takes him for a get-together. Tell: ´you can help me now.´
Photos 2015 in St. Jean de Cole in front of Chateau de la Marthonie, Dordogne
Scene: After a rescue the monk takes Tell to a safe place, a stable. Dialogue: "Tell: "Do you live in a stable?" "I don´t wanna know who you are... but you are safe enough here." "I have to stay away from the street
for a while, not very long." "I used to be a strolling player. I kept the costumes. They sometimes come in handy. Unfortunately I´m slightly behind with the rent' and he holds up his hand .. Tell: "How much do you need?
"A couple of marcs or so... "Is there somebody in this town called Bardolph?" The monks face changed immediately "If you are a follower of him you leave now!" "I´m not. What can you tell me about him?"
"He gives young people poisonous wine and let them scream nonsense about revolution. He is a bitter and twisted man! You buy lots of friends with money."
Then the scene switches from the market Chateau Bourdeilles! (here are the ancient street, ´other´ market, the cellar, the inn and the horse races through the streets).
The search for Bardophe
Location: of 'The secret cellar' we haven't discovered yet, more about this down this page.
The inn
Location is: the Castle of Bourdeilles
Scene in the inn: There are indication Tell's son is in real danger. While Tell tries to find a trace in the inn. Nobody dares to speak. Trouble arises when the
Black Knight meets him again. ´Helping that monk, Tell, is a big mistake!´ Tell sows for a little while confusion "You mean that monk was William Tell?"
So the guard is distracted and they look at each other. Then Tell defending himself with turning the tables and with all kind of furniture and he goes.
Nowadays?
Perhaps the rooms is plastered nowadays. I hope they also kept an old part of the ancient wall. I cant ensure if this is the same Salle of Bourdeilles. But it looks like it a lot. We think the entrance is at spot 6.
Scene: Still in the cellar. Tell forces and answer, but the man won´t talk much. He only speaks about a cellar, people go to at night. He can´t say where.
"Bardolph makes them drink poisoned wine, spelled them and let them shout out the revolution." The monk found out who he is and tries to help Tell in his
search. They both get dressed like monks, visit the inn and wait until midnight. Inside the inn Silas talks against the ward; "The church is most concerned about
the degeneration of the young people. Would you tell me the truth about Bardolph?' Ward: 'I never have heard of Bardolph or his secret meetings!' Tell: where
does Bardolphe meet? Ward: "Alright, he pays me well to use the cellar from me. What he is doing there is his business, I don´t ask questions." Tell: "Show me the way."
Tell and Silas leaving the inn with huge doors. Situated: the square at spot 6 (the inn). They witness Bardophe followers leaving the secret place.
The secret place
Below the entrance of this salle (9) at number 6. The entrance to the basement is inhere of in front of it at nr. 6 We are not sure yet, but C. Petit thinks it's at 6. See below.
Probably the inn is a level below this Salle. See the shape of the door, it the same kind of shape to the cellar.
A special stairs with a special shape. Nice shots. This stairs to the cave is beautiful. Then entering a room that is decorated like a cave or is originally partly rocky.
Tell enters a mysterious place...
Bardolph's cellar is still unknown to us
We marked some details that stroke us...does anybody recognize them? A cellar in Bourdeille? But the mark on the right photo could be a circle on a carpet too.
Scene: 'That's him, That's William Tell!' Matthew pointed Tell and handed Tell over to the Black Knights. Next morning Tell is tight to a pole on the village aquare
Chateau Marthonie St. Jean de Cole
Scene: The Nightmare, episode 25. The tables are turned.
1987 2015
The castle has a 15th century part made up of towers and a donjon and is quite austere and added to this is a 17th century wing in a much softer style, built over a series of arches.
1987 Photos above are also made in 2015
Below: The Romanesque Byzantine church of St Jean Baptist built in the 11th century and with a quite unusual rounded shape.
Combined the two buildings and the cottage-style houses on the other edge make the square very attractive.
1987 2015
The savior in need
From Chateau Marthonie right into the 'market' in Chateau Bourdeille
1987 View at the castle of Marthonie 2015
1986 View at the church of Marthonie 2015
Photos of the square
Market change
The change from the square of Chateau de La Marthonie to the Chateau de Bourdeille
La Marthonie Market at Chateau de Bourdeilles
The chase on the escaped - Bourdeilles
The chase from Marthonie square to Bourdeille castle (in this corner of the grass field (yellow circle on the well). You can see the well behind them. Then they are galloping aside the castlewall to the gate at spot 5.
The escape - The gate to the courtyard of Bourdeilles
The route is from the man to this gate The gate goes to a small courtyard.
There used to be a small stairs in front of this gate. It disappeared and the ground is leveled. At the left photos they galloping up the stairs. They made this place more wheelchair friendly.
They're entering this 'market' courtyard Looking through the gate from 5 to 7, seeing a ridge of building 8 in the back.
The courtyard of Bourdeille - The market chase
The gate, seen from the courtyard.
The close up of the the ridge (on the wall next to the gate, see left below) is the lowest of the two ridges. They have hidden the well, perhaps to make it look like a narrow medieval street with lots of market stalls.
They ride next to the left wall. Between the gate and the well. They made it look like a narrow market street. They were galloping along the left wall.
The second stairs at Bourdeille
Unbelievable those powerful horses took this stairs. And didn't they damages those old stone steps? I think they are, but hopefully not much. This staircase-scene with those horses is amazing!
This stairs is leading to a small tunnel. If you're turning left you will see a room and turned dead. So the horses must have been taken down with hardly space to turn around and then galloping up.
They had to wait in a row in the tunnel. Amazing shot. I hope they were able to record the shot in one time ;)
You can see the stairs right of number 7 In the left you can see the staircase go down.
The stable
Scene: They shook them off for a while! They went back to the stable to find shelter.
Location: probably the farm of episode The Emperor and the 'Lost Cruisader' nearby Bourdeilles. More about this farm in 'The Emperor' episode.
Episode 25 Nightmare and The lost cruidsader (Photo of Tell with bow) sharing the same location, I'm almost sure. Here one fourth of the door is open, like the photo on the right (above).
Dialogue in the farm. On first floor.
This dialoque of the effect of the Tell's story on someone else. How it can turn out differently.
Scene: Tell and Silas are talking past each other. In some way it's funny, because they both have other interests and think differently. The monk, Silas: 'That is the first and
the last time I do something brave. I must be mad!' William: 'I´m very grateful!' Silas: 'I don´t do this for anybody, but now I know who you are.." William: 'He seemed like a
kind of trance.' Silas: 'How I rescued William Tell that does yield a couple of beers so here and there." I´m going to the next town...with your skill of the crossbow we can
start a nice attraction together.' Tell politely saves it: 'No thanks I have to find my son...Silas is flabbergasted: 'He almost tries to kill you.." "Yes, but he still is my son."
Scene on ground level of the stable. Suddenly Matthew calls for his father but his voice is in a cool tone. Bardolphe stands behind him and shouted Matthew has to finish his father.
He keeps on shouting aggressively. Tell tries to influence his son to break the trance... Then they fight....when Matthew
is hit hard and tries to stand up, he seems to be more reasonable than before, but still very confused.
Extra photos St. Jean de Cole
La Marthonie (town). Below one of the oldest houses.
Extra foto's Bourdeille
The shop
The view from the highest tower
The entrance to the highest tower of chateau Bourdeilles.
Bardolph cellar
Here it is in de Grand Medievale Salle, unfortunetly locked. This is the room above the inn.
This door is probably not the entrance to the Bardolph cellar, while it looks like it. The door to the cellar has the same shape but is probably outside (courtyard)
My friend C. Petit, who helped me very well with finding all those places, he thinks It's the small door (on the right) to the cellar and the huge door is to the inn.
The stairs you see, to a level higher up, is the Grand Medievale Salle. There is also the entrance to the highest tower of Bourdeilles.
The gardens
Bourdeilles is surrounded by sturdy fortified walls. Inside the walls next to the Renaissance Palace is a beautiful
courtyard garden, lined by trees and with borders full of flowers in shades of blue and yellow.
In here furniture! And a hidden history
The furniture collection
Renaissance furniture and decorated rooms.
The 16th century renaissance castle has richly furnished rooms such as the sumptuous 'Salon Doré or 'golden room' with a beautiful painted ceiling.
There is a prestigious collection of furniture from the 15-19th centuries, including the gilt Spanish bed of Charles V known as the 'Paradise Bed'. (right below)
The rooms to visit include the armory, a dining room and two bedrooms.
The site of Bourdeilles was opened to the visit in 1967 after the installation in the Renaissance castle of the furniture of the Santiard-Bulteau collection,
bequeathed to the General Council. Composed of objects ranging from late Gothic to the nineteenth century, it previously furnished the castle of Treyne, in the Lot.
Medieval shootings for movies
Parts of Cartouche partly shot in Chateau de Bourdeilles
Below: Figurants is beautiful costumes waiting in the Salle de Medievale Chateau Bourdeilles.
The distribution of the castle's spaces originally corresponded to domestic and social functions: apartments in the south, reception rooms in the north. Nothing is known about the furniture that
occupied them until the 18th century. The residence of Jacquette de Montbron received interior fittings from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, corresponding to changes in lifestyle.
On the ground floor the large reception room was divided into dining room and bedroom in the seventeenth century, and an apartment was converted into a kitchen and its annexes in the nineteenth century.
When the collection arrived in 1967, the rooms of the castle changed their function to comply with the nature of the works they received. On the ground floor the dining room was named
"room of arms" to justify the installation of warlike equipment, the kitchen "chapel" after there were deposited religious works. On the 2nd floor was called the reception room
"Charles V's room" because of the Spanish-style furniture that took place there.
Details
Chateau La Marthonie inside
Extra information about Bourdeille
One of the four baronies of Périgord (with Beynac, Biron and Mareuil), the castral ensemble of Bourdeilles, on a cliff overlooking the river Dronne, includes the medieval castle and the Baronial
Renaissance castle. Classified Historical Monument in 1919 it is given to the department of Dordogne by the heirs of the Marquis de Bourdeille in 1962. Quarrels within the family Bourdeille from
the thirteenth century explain the division of the site. The medieval fortress is built by a close friend of the king of France, Géraud de Maulmont, who takes possession of it in 1283. Important military
stake on a strategic zone, it is then occupied by the king Philippe the Bel who equips it with a system defensive, then by the counts of Périgord. After the Hundred Years War the barons take over the
head of the castrum and Jacquette de Montbron, widow of André de Bourdeille, seneschal of Périgord, built from 1589 his house next to the Count's castle.
The visit begins with the medieval castle composed of a vast main building and a high tower which dominates the village and the surrounding countryside. An enclosure equipped with archers with
recesses and machicolation constitutes the defensive system. The imposing Renaissance castle, which takes advantage of the architectural innovations of the mid-16th century in its plan and decor,
was left unfinished at the death of the Baroness de Bourdeille. It rises on three levels visitable, with furnished apartments and reception rooms.
Visit:
February to March and November to December: 10.00-12.30 and 14.00-17.30 closed Mondays*
April to June and September to October: 10.00-13.00 and 14.00-18.00
July to August: 10.00-19.30
