Despite the splendor and intricate architectural details that prevail at the Palace of Versailles, there are more modest pragmatic stone features such as the limestone bollards and wheel chasers that protect stonework and channel the flow of carriages and pedestrians.
Antique Bollards at the Palace of Versailles
Wheel chasers protect the lower sides of stone pillared archways from carriage wheels and their protruding hubs. The limestone bollards effectively divide horse-drawn vehicles from pedestrians along roadways, and in general add a discrete charm to the landscapes in close proximity to the buildings, but without competing with them in an overly decorative manner. In other words, they are highly functional and robust, but they blend in harmoniously and without ostentation.
French reclaimed bollards comparable to those of the Palace of Versailles
BCA can supply comparable Truly Reclaimed bollards and wheel chasers, antique features that are often very close to those at Versailles. The stone types are principally French limestone (as at Versailles), but also granite, sandstone and even bluestone. Sometimes cast or wrought iron versions are also in stock.
Author of the article "Bollards and wheel chasers at Versailles Palace"
Written 3rd Novembre 2025 - Article and photos by David ACKERS.
David is BCA’s long-term consultant following a long career as an Interior Architect in France, member and ex-regional Président de Région Normandie of France’s Union National des Architectes d’Intérieur – Designers (UNAID), ex-member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).
