Château de Remaisnil: An Eighteenth-Century Residence in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- French, German
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page11 sections
History
Château de Remaisnil is an eighteenth-century residence in Remaisnil, France, built around 1770 by the de la Porte family in the classical style, which draws on ancient Greek and Roman design. The château stands on the site of a medieval castle.
Ownership and wartime use
Around 1825, Charles-Jean-Edouard, Count of Butler, acquired the château and its lands. The Butler family retained the estate until the early twentieth century, when it was sold to Jules Elby, director of the Bruay mines and later a senator for Pas-de-Calais.
During the First World War, the British Army used the château as a command centre while Remaisnil was near the Somme battlefront. After German forces invaded France in 1940, German officers occupied the building, and a V-1 launch site was built in its park. The V-1 was a German flying bomb used during the Second World War.
Renovation and later use
The Elby family kept the deteriorating house until the late 1950s. In the late 1970s, Welsh designer and businesswoman Laura Ashley and her husband, businessman Bernard Ashley, undertook major renovations and redesigned the interiors. The château was partially listed as a historic monument in 1986.
Adrian and Susan Doull bought the property in 1987 and made it a hotel and conference centre. It was later sold again and is now privately owned as a residence.
Remains
The residence and associated buildings
Main house
The main residential block is classical in style and flanked by two brick wings. The house contains five reception rooms, some of which retain decorative details associated with the Louis XV period, the artistic and decorative styles linked to the French king’s reign from 1715 to 1774.
Underground passage
A white-tiled underground passage still connects the château with its former stables.
Dovecote
A nineteenth-century dovecote, a building for housing pigeons or doves, stands within the château’s surroundings.
Park and grounds
Gardens and recreation areas
The estate includes a 14-hectare park, a walled garden, a French-style park, and an English garden designed by Laura Ashley. Its other grounds features include a grass tennis court and a swimming pool.
V-1 launch remains
The foundation of part of the V-1 launch apparatus remains visible in the park.
