History Of The Manoir

16th Century Manoir Du Quengo

The recorded history of the Manoir Du Quengo goes back over a thousand years to 920, when a Celtic chieftain built a fortress on the site.

At the time this was surrounded by the vast forest of Broceliande, legendary home of King Arthur, Merlin and The Knights Of The Round Table.

All that remains of the original forest, the forest of Paimpont, is still much visited by tourists. The names of places such as the Val Sans Retour (The Valley Of No Return) reflects the continuing importance of the Arthurian legend in this area, and “Quengo” itself is a Celtic name.

The lake at Concoret where legend has it that Lancelot was called by The Lady Of The Lake.

Descendants of the chieftain, the Quengo family, built the present house around 1600 and continued to live here until 1854.

There are several legends that still prevail today. The west wing of the house is said to be haunted by a knight who sometimes wanders through after dark mournfully jingling his golden spurs.

More tangibly legend has it that the Countess De Quengo used to like to have her tea served up in the tree house in the large beech tree outside the east wing of the Manoir. The remains of the tree house can still be seen today.

The Countess’ Treehouse.

Many of the windows, walls and fireplaces are decorated with granite carvings relating to the family’s history. A latin inscription “Si Deus est pro nobis qui contra nos” (If God is with us who is against us) is above one of the fireplaces and the Manoir has an air of tranquillity and permanence.

The Quengo coat of arms which is above the kitchen door