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Origin and history

Heudicourt Castle, located in the department of Eure in Normandy, has its origins in the 16th century, although its current structure dates mainly from the 17th and 19th centuries. In the original location, according to tradition, was a hunting appointment in Dagobert's time. The present castle was built by Michel (I) Sublet, intendant of the marshal of Joyeuse, whose family had acquired the estate in 1574. His grandson, Michel (II) Sublet, lieutenant general and governor of Landrecies, completed the construction around 1660.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of several generations of the Sublet family, including Michel (III), Marquis d'Heudicourt and Grand Louvetier of France, and his son Pons Auguste, known for his caustic spirit. The Revolution transformed the castle into a prison, before it was bought in 1804 by Martin-Roch-Xavier Estève, treasurer general of the Crown under Napoleon. The latter undertook major restoration work, such as the reconstruction of the moat and the entrance bridge, while at the same time strangling the ruined lateral wings.

The castle, built in brick and stone with slate roofs, today preserves only its main house body, renovated in the eighteenth century in a neoclassical style. Its 14 hectare park, designed at the end of the 17th century, combines groves, star paths and a green theatre. Ranked a historic monument in 1966 with its moats and gardens, the estate remains the property of the Estève family, which has continued its heritage since the early 19th century.

The 1999 storm caused significant damage to the park, causing hundreds of trees to replant to restore historical alignments. The castle, witness to the fascists of the Old Regime and revolutionary upheavals, illustrates the architectural and social evolution of Normandy throughout the centuries.

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