Former domain of the Count of Hinnisdal à Vron dans la Somme

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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Castle of Regnière-Écluse, former domain of the Count of Hinnisdal, extends over the communes of Vron, Regnière-Écluse and Machy, in the Somme. Acquired around 1030 by the same family, he remained in his possession almost a millennium. The Soyecourts inherited it in 1424, succeeding the Tyrel and Soissons-Moreuil. A chimney dated 1553 in the library attests to its late medieval origin.

In the 19th century, Count Herman of Hinnisdal radically transformed the estate into a neo-Gothic style, with architect Jean Herbault. He added a model farm, an English garden, and two game parks, rare for the time. The brothers Duthoit, Amienese sculptors, decorated the castle for twenty years, including the large staircase of 1850, carried partly by railway, a technical feat.

The field was occupied by the military: the English army during the First World War, then the Germans made it a hospital during the Second. It was abandoned after the war and served as a holiday settlement before being restored in 1961 by Count Raymond de Nicolaÿ, descendant of the owners. Ranked a historic monument in 2006, it was ceded to the Coastal Conservatory in 2008, while remaining inhabited by the family.

The 135-hectare park, designed by Louis-Sulpice Varé, is inspired by English estates, with a central driveway of 2.5 km and 138,000 trees planted. The castle, visible from any point of the park, houses a private chapel, lounges and fifteen rooms. Reconstituted ruins near Maye evoke the primitive castle. The site also served as a setting for film productions such as Le Flux et le Reflux (2013) and Murder Party (2022).

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