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Origin and history

The castle of Bovelles is a private property built in the second half of the eighteenth century, on the commune of Bovelles, in the department of the Somme (Hauts-de-France). He replaced a former mansion and was commanded by Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval, the first artillery inspector, after his acquisition of the seigneury in 1769. The building, characteristic of Picardie's "brick and stone" constructions, combines architectural sobriety and symmetry, with a body of two-winged houses.

The castle has been partially protected as historical monuments since 28 August 1989, covering its facades and roofs. Its interior, organized around a central living room, reflects a typical distribution of the aristocratic houses of the time, with private apartments, a dining room, and a four-fold staircase of honor. The brick vaulted cellars and ancillary buildings, originally intended to house the riders of the general's guard, testify to its residential and military use.

The park, structured according to the principles of the English garden, is structured around a central roundabout with ten avenues. Two main alleys directly connect the castle to this network, illustrating the influence of 18th-century landscape gardens. Although private property, the site remains a remarkable example of picard architectural and landscape heritage, linked to the history of French artillery under the Ancien Régime.

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