In the grandiose stables of the Château de Vaux-Le-Vicomte, visitors have been able to admire, since 1979, one of the best-presented French private collections. Over thirty, fully refurbished carriages gleam as if they came off the hands of manufacturers as their coatings remain bright and their cloth or leather trim impeccable. Lounge chariot, town coach, travelling and town broughams, barouche, omnibus, sociable, George IV phaetons, breaks and game carriages - all provide an excellent overview of the diversity of horse-drawn models during the 19th century.
A wine château built in the heart of the Medoc in 1878, Lanessan has splendid stables with purple marble feeders, luxurious saddlery, and beautiful outbuildings which house ten carriages in perfect original condition, reflecting the lifestyle of a large house in rich Bordeaux vineyards in the late-19th century. Among them is an English coach from the famous London-based builder Peters & Sons and a beautiful large break by Mühlbacher.
http://marcigny.fr/musee-de-la-voiture-a-cheval
With over sixty vehicles, the Marcigny Museum is currently the largest private collection open to the public. The big names of French bodywork - Binder, Kellner, Mülhlbacher, Ehrler, Bellevalette, Million-Guiet, Morel, Faurax, and Retif - are seen across a wide range of models.
In the former stables of the imposing Château d’Apremont, some ten fully restored carriages are properly presented in a bright room. They come from the Saint-Sauveur, Schneider and Brissac families, the successive owners of the château. Two stand out: one for its rarity, a large travelling town coach from the mid-19th century, which belonged to Eugene Schneider, the famous ironmaster from Le Creusot, and the other for the beauty and perfection of its execution, a large hunting break manufactured by Unalserres & Bernin.
Émile Hermès (1871-1951), descending from of a family of saddlers and founder of the well known company, has assembled a collection primarily dedicated to horse and trades related to it.
A landmark in the field of equestrian or horse-drawn culture, the collection of Émile Hermès includes books, paintings and art or applied art objects, bearing witness to a refined culture of "objects of use and taste". There, cultures talk to each other, revealing different ways of traveling, moving, hunting, ingenuity, know-how, the beauty of materials – from leather up to pen and paper - in the service of human mobility, in a quest for efficiency, comfort and elegance, and for sustainable use. One can find saddles and accessories for riding, harnesses, vehicles, lanterns, trunks, walking sticks, boots, game objects... Constantly enriched, this unique heritage is a source of creative inspiration for Hermes. The collection is available to artisans and scholars, curators, scholars and amateurs (by appointment).
http://www.chateau-menetou-salon.com/musee-automobile-et-hippomobile
Kept in the outbuildings of the château of the Princes of Arenberg are carriages, a tack room and a small horse-drawn carriage collection, which includes a handsome travelling brougham.
