For many years money from the United States has enabled Versailles to undertake restoration projects in both château and park that other historic properties could only dream about. But is this largesse beginning to have a
deleterious effect?
Garden historians are complaining that too much weight is given to the views of major private donors, who are anxious for their names to be associated with such a prestigious place but may not appreciate the finer points of conservation.

Recent work has been described as having a Disneyland element, with little attention being paid to the park overall and too much to the Le Nôtre gardens, which, important as they are, represent only one aspect of this complex site.

More reports on this please, to office@historicgardens.org !

(December 2009)