The Kitchens

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Exterior Ground Floor Kitchens First Floor Second Floor Ladies' Gallery
Chenonceau's kitchens are located in the huge bases which form the first two piers sitting on the bed of the Cher. The pantry is a low room with two vaults the ribs' intersections. Its 16th century chimney is the château's largest, next to the bread oven. The pantry serves both the Dining Room reserved for château staff, the Butchery in which you can still see the hooks for hanging game and the blocks for cutting it up, and finally the Larder.
The Pantry Other side of the pantry
The Larder partly seen on the first picture The Butchery
The staff dining room
A bridge leading to the kitchen itself is also served by the pantry. By crossing from one pier to the other, we can see a platform where boats with supplies would draw alongside (according to the legend, it is called "Diane's Bath"). During the First World War however the Renaissance Kitchens were fitted with the modern equipment that was needed for the château to be transformed into a hospital.
The Kitchen

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