Did Lady Meux Ever Visit Her French Château?
Lady Valerie Meux owned many properties, including a country house 15 km south-east of Paris, a city she frequently visited.
The property was the Château de Sucy-en-Brie, one of the finest surviving seventeenth-century country houses in the Paris region. It is closely associated with the architect François Le Vau, brother of the more famous Louis Le Vau, architect of parts of Versailles.
Architecturally, it is a classic French château consisting of a central block flanked by two pavilions, built of dressed stone beneath a mansard roof.
The site began as a seigneurial residence. In 1640, the estate was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Lambert de Thorigny, a wealthy royal finance official. After his death, his brother Nicolas Lambert inherited the property and commissioned the construction of a new château. Building work began around 1660, and the main structure was completed in 1661-62.
The Lambert family retained the property until the early eighteenth century. It subsequently passed through several prominent owners, including the La Live and Ginoux families. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the château reportedly suffered considerable damage, with much of its interior devastated.
The château entered English hands in the late nineteenth century when it was acquired by the Meux family. The official history published by the town of Sucy-en-Brie lists the Meux family among the successive owners between the Ginoux family and the Bès de Berc family.
In 1892, it was purchased by Lady Louisa Meux, mother of Sir Henry Bruce Meux, 3rd Baronet, and Valerie's mother-in-law. When Louisa died in 1894, the château passed to Henry. There is no evidence that he ever visited the property. On his death in 1900, ownership passed to Valerie.
Local sources note that "with Lady Bruce Meux, the château regained some of its splendour". This suggests that money was invested in its maintenance and upkeep, although records of any restoration work have not survived.
Did Valerie visit the château? Probably, although no direct evidence has yet come to light. However, her connection with Paris appears to have continued throughout her life. Under the terms of her will, her former Paris butler, Pierre Gabin, received an annuity of fifteen shillings per week.
Upon Valerie's death in 1910, the château passed to Admiral Hedworth Lambton, who later assumed the surname Meux. He sold the property in 1912 to the Bès de Berc family, the last private owners of the estate.
After the Bès de Berc family, the château entered a period of decline. Following a sale in 1956, it was effectively abandoned. Decorative features, fireplaces, sculptures, woodwork, furniture, and library collections were looted; water damage became extensive and ceilings collapsed.
The town of Sucy-en-Brie acquired the château in 1969 for the symbolic sum of one franc. It was designated a historic monument in 1975, and a major programme of restoration continued between 1976 and 2007. Today, it serves as the town's Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art and is regularly open to visitors.
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