CHATEAU HISTORY
Before 1409 little is known, other than a connection with Belenos who was the Gallic god spirit of Health, Medicine and Light - a theme which we will see permeate through the next 600 years.

  • 1409 this magnificent property belonged to the French Crown
  • 1540 it belonged to Raoul ENAULT and took on his name in a pun form of the Gallic spirit Bellenau
  • 1679 it was the property of Andre YVELIN, EQUERRY TO KING LOUIS XIV. The latter gave it in to Richard JOSEPH, sire of LAFOSSE.
  • 1717 (19th March) the act of Foeffment includes the following clause: "To supply His Majesty, the King of France, with a horse and harness on the occasion of his visit to the region
  • 1786 (22 July at 6.00pm) PETER III de la FOSSE presented KING LOUIS XVI with a horse and harness to take him from CARENTAN to VALOGNES. The DUKE OF COIGNY was first Equerry to the KING, (he owned an estate at ST CÔME adjacent to BEL ENAULT.) Under the old Monarchy this property was very important; it had a big Chapel dedicated to St Anne. After the Revolution the chapel was turned into a barn
  • 1717 - 1903 the LA FOSSE family live at BEL ENAULT for eight generations (186 years). All the eldest sons were called Pierre, (Peter)
  • 1903 the property was sold to M. ALEXANDRE who destroyed half of the park in order to sell exotic trees, (segnoids), and turned it into a meadow for cattle grazing
  • 1907 he sold the estate to Mr & Mrs BLANCHET who transformed the modest house into a mansion and called the property "Les Palmiers", (THE PALM TREES)
  • 1937 the 'BEL ENAULT' or the 'PALM TREES' was sold to MR & MRS FAUVEL who established a 30 Hectare farm, (discontinued at Christmas Eve 1988 because of milk quotas). Mr Fauvel had to give up Bel Enault under some extraordinary circumstances, he had a motor car which he kept without insurance and one day had an unfortunate accident and killed a man in the village of St Côme du Mont. Under French Law, Mr Fauvel was then obliged to provide for the wife and family of the deceased and as such had to sell the Château to his nephew in 1987
  • 1944 (6th June) Château Bel Enault became the first Château to be liberated by the Allies just half an hour after they landed at the nearby UTAH BEACH during the infamous D-DAY LANDINGS
  • 1987 MR GRANDIN (MR FAUVELS nephew), bought the property and started the alteration to make it suitable for Paying Guests

1999 STEPHEN ALDRIDGE purchased the property from Monsieur Grandin, returning the name to its original form of Bellenau and opening it up as Group Venue, beginning the restoration of the dilapidated gardens back to their former glory.