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Bâti en forme d´A, par gaité, il fut l´œuvre d´un architecte ingénieux et subtil.
Il ouvre ses deux ailes modiques juste à l´endroit qu´il faut pour avoir du champ
et être préservé des folies de la rivière.”
Jean de La Varende.
A Lovely Renaissance Château
Fortified in the Middle Ages to control navigation on the Eure River, this site was of great strategic importance during the wars between Normandy and France and later France and England, in the Hundred Years’ War. The fortress was besieged by the armies of Charles V in 1368 and razed in 1378. The construction of the present-day château began around 1550 at the request of Anne de Montmorency Laval, wife of Louis de Silly, cousin of Henry II, and lady-in-waiting to Catherine de Médicis. To immortalize her love for her husband, she asked the architect, Philibert de l'Orme, to create the château's plan from their four entwined initials and to otherwise draw inspiration from their love. Hence began a complex project resulting in an original creation of rare elegance, centered around a corner turret supported by a vault-like structure resembling the shell of a scallop. The turret, which is above the main entrance, has superimposed loggias and a magnificent ornament (a finial made of lead) crowning its dome. The symbols sculpted on the façade, such as the ivy, oak, and linked hands, celebrate their undying love and the glory of the family.
A friend of the Duke of Longueville bought the château in 1643. The Duchess of Longueville was put under house arrest there from 1653 to 1656 for her role in the civil war the Fronde. On October 12, 1656, the château was sold to Claude le Roux de Cambremont, a member of the Parliament at Rouen married to Madeleine de Tournebus, heiress of the barony of d'Esneval.
In 1745, Pierre Robert le Roux d'Esneval, known as the Président d'Acquigny, extended the château, adding to it two low wings with balustrades. His architect, Charles Thibault, rebuilt the church (1755-1783), the St.
Mauxe Chapel, and the stable buildings. Upon M. d'Acquigny's retirement in 1774, he constructed the petit château.
The Petit Château, a Typical French Architecture
After his retirement, the Président d'Acquigny, pious man and prolific master builder, wished to live out his days in strict accordance with the dictates of La Trappe Abbey of Soligny as an eremite. This small château, then connected to the church, served as his hermitage and allowed him to attend services in the church or in the château's chapel. The building's design is simple and harmonious. The symmetry of the structure and its play of colours with the blue slates, rose bricks, and white stones contribute greatly to an air of beauty and equilibrium.
The Cider Press & The Royal Prison
The room now called the old cider press was once at the heart of the château's stable buildings (the mews), but the interior was destroyed during World War II. During recent restoration work, the foundation of a medieval cider press was discovered and the building named accordingly. A mix of Norman techniques and materials are represented here: half-timbering, bricks, and different stones of diverse shapes. The roof support of oak beams is of the 17th century, while the oculus was added in the 18th. This circular window is set in an arched dormer with a lead roof covering. Today, the room exhibits tools of the past and cuts of wood from the various trees of the gardens.
The square tower at the end of the mews near the street was part of the former fortress’s defense and later became a stop for convicts and their guards on the way to Le Havre.
