Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Henencourt Castle was built in the 17th century by the Lameth family after the Spanish invasions. This brick and stone monument, decorated with stone links and carved woodwork, reflected the classical influence of the era. A French park, with charmilles and basins, was complete together, while a central forebody and an ionic peristyle were added in the 18th century, evoking a Paladian villa. The entrance gate, the work of the ironmaker Jean Veyren, and the balustrades acquired in the 19th century during the dismantling of the castle of Heilly, testify to the successive beautifications.

During the First World War, the castle served as headquarters for Major William Birdwood, Chief of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). In 1916, an explosion caused by the collapse of a British sap severely damaged the building, followed by a fire. After the conflict, only part of the castle was preserved: the central body, its peristyle, the east wing and the ruins of the west wing. The interior decor, looted during the Second World War when it was used as a German hospital, completely disappeared.

Ranked a historic monument in 1984, the castle also includes a dovecote decorated with a military pediment carved by Jean-Baptiste Carpentier, as well as the remains of the park. Still owned by the Lameth family, it bears the traces of the reshuffles of the 17th and 18th centuries, mixing architectural heritage and memory of world conflicts. The protected elements include the castle in its entirety, the dovecote and the park, although the park has lost much of its original features.

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