Chateau-sur-Mer debuts new audio tour

When Chateau-sur-Mer opens for tours starting July 31, visitors will be guided by an audio tour for the first time.

From the Library with its elaborate carved wood paneling to the Dining Room with its silvered leather wall coverings to the Stair Hall with its “Tree of Life” mural, the new self-guided audio tour will bring the mansion to life. Visitors will hear about the people who lived and worked in this masterpiece of High Victorian architecture and taste as well as interesting details about the décor and furnishings.

“Chateau-sur-Mer has a complex history and many unusual design elements, and this tour will help guests to understand the house better,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO of The Preservation Society of Newport County. “We hope the new audio tour draws more people to discover its unique beauty and charm.”

Chateau-sur-Mer, a National Historic Landmark, was the most palatial residence in Newport from its opening in 1852 until the 1890s, when Marble House, Ochre Court and The Breakers were built. It was the home of the Wetmore family until 1966. The Preservation Society acquired the house in 1969.

This is the fifth of the Preservation Society’s houses to offer an audio tour to visitors; the others are The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and Rosecliff. Visitors download the free Newport Mansions app to their mobile devices and listen using their own earphones.

Chateau-sur-Mer will be open daily from July 31 through October 1.

In addition, Chepstow, another of the Preservation Society’s historic house museums, will be open Saturdays and Sundays through the month of August. Guide-led tours will be offered several times each day. Built in 1860, Chepstow is an Italianate-style villa with a significant collection of furnishings and 19th-century American paintings.

For more information and the full Newport Mansions operating schedule, go to www.NewportMansions.org.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

For more information, please visit www.NewportMansions.org.