Tuffeau Stone

Chateau de Chenonceau from the southern river bank

Loire Valley châteaux, in common with our house and many of the older building in this region, are in many cases primarily constructed from tuffeau stone. Of the many fabulous châteaux in the Loire Valley built of tuffeau, the most famous is Chenonceau.

"Tuffeau is a marine sedimentary rock which is found in the Loire Valley of France. The Loire Valley formed the floor of a vast sea 90 million years ago. Over the millennia, sediment from the sea floor, comprising fossilized living organisms and sand particles, became compressed to form what is now known as Tuffeau stone."

The mining and extraction of tuffeau has created vast networks of troglodyte or troglodytic caves in the Loire Valley which are now been converted into wine cellars, mushroom farms or, as our friend's son is doing, a night club.

Strawberry Bed in front of Tuffeau Stone Wall

The tuffeau stone is a beautiful creamy white stone which glows in the sunlight making even the most modest buildings look absolutely stunning. The big problems with the stone are that it is very soft and porous, which means that it can easily absorb a large volume of water that then causes it to crumble away.  It seems to be particularly susceptible to airborne pollution, which accelerates the breakdown of the stone.

On the other side of the coin, it is incredibly light for its size, which means that large blocks can be easily manoeuvred.