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Origin and history

The Broc Manor House, also known as the Brot Manor House, is a former fortified house built in the early 16th century on the town of Gatteville-le-Phare, in the department of Manche (Normandy). Located at the site of Ferme du Brot, 2 km southwest of the Saint-Pierre church, it is part of a complete manorial complex, including house, chapel, commons and fortified porch. The building, partially listed as historical monuments since 2000, illustrates the transitional seigneurial architecture between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with its two houses in square connected by a cylindrical tower housing a staircase with screws.

The mansion was built by Hennot's family, anoblia in 1509 and lord of Broc since the 14th century. In 1519 Nicolas de Hennot, also seigneur of Cosqueville and of Arreville, erected the current house and a domestic chapel dedicated to Saint Gorgon, blessed on August 25 of that year by Bishop Jean d'Aloigny. This chapel, adjacent to the north wing, is distinguished by a Gothic bay and a lapidary inscription commemorating its consecration. The estate also includes agricultural outbuildings (presshouse, stable, barn) and a crenellated porch, reflecting the economic and defensive autonomy of the Norman seigneuries of the time.

The south wing of the mansion, dedicated to services, houses kitchen, pantry and secondary bedroom, while the north wing, larger, serves as seigneurial house. The staircase tower, surmounted by a dovecote, symbolizes both the social status of Hennot and their control over local resources. The communes, separated from the house, include remarkable elements such as a press with its wooden mechanism, testifying to the agricultural and wine activities of the region. The ensemble, which was protected in 2000, offers a rare example of a 16th century Norman manor house preserved in its entirety, with its residential, religious and productive functions.

The location of the mansion, on the edge of an old royal road, highlights its role in regional exchanges. The site called Ferme du Brot, today backed by the village of Denneville, recalls the feudal organization of the lands, where the seigneuries structured the landscape and economic life. The protection of facades, roofs and interior elements (such as the press) by the Historical Monuments guarantees the preservation of this heritage, both architectural and historical, linked to the social ascent of Hennot's family at the beginning of the Renaissance.

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