Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Caumont House, located in Rives-en-Seine (formerly Caudebec-en-Caux), is a building built in the late 18th century or early 19th century, before 1805. It is distinguished by its facade decorated with large carved coats of arms and an interior decoration inspired by antiquity. Originally, the property belonged to the Busquet de Caumont family and extended over a terraced garden bordering the Seine, accessible by a gate aligned with the dock.

In 1818, a second building body was added to the south, now extinct. In 1830, the retaining wall of the garden was surmounted by a stone balustrade, recovered from the castle of La Mailleraye after its destruction. The house remained in the Busquet de Chandoisel family until 1921, then became a passenger hotel between 1926 and 1936, before housing a studio of Radio Normandie from 1936 to 1941.

Requisitioned in 1941 to replace the town hall destroyed in 1940, the house was purchased by the municipality in 1953 and converted into a town hall. A fire in 1994 ravaged some of the premises, but spared the woodwork of the ground floor lounges. Ranked a historic monument in 1996, it now retains three rooms with their original décor, while the garden has been home to a traditional gribane since 1984, a symbol of local river heritage.

The building illustrates the architectural and functional evolution of an aristocratic home, moving from private residence to municipal power. Its history also reflects the upheavals of the twentieth century, between wars, urban transformations and heritage preservation.

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