Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Boutemont found its origins in the 11th century with a feudal motte built by the Boutemont family under Henri II Plantagenet. Guillaume de Boutemont was mentioned there in 1195. The fief, first possession of the Boutemont until the 14th century, then passed to the families Servin, Borel, and then Paisant. In 1529, Philippe Paisant, annoyed in 1540, began the reconstruction of the castle, marking the beginning of his transformation into a Renaissance residence.

In the 17th century, the castle was acquired by the Le Bas, of which Jean-Baptiste Le Bas, adviser to the court of aid of Normandy, modernized the facade, enlarged the house with two wings and a monumental entrance, and destroyed the west wall. In 1745, the property passed through marriage to the Guéroult, who kept it until the Revolution. David Guéroult, the last lord, emigrated in 1791.

In the 20th century, Commodore Charley Drouilly bought the castle in 1915 and entrusted Achille Duchêne with the creation of French-style gardens. In 1976, Armand and Hélène Sarfati restored the park and transmitted it in 2020 to Johanna Winstrom Monnier and Bruno Monnier, who opened the estate to the public, including remarkable gardens, orangery transformed into a restaurant, and three historic rooms accessible by the drawbridge.

The castle, partially listed as historical monuments since 1927, consists of a quadrangular enclosure with dry moat, a tower with two drawbridges, a central stone and half-timbered building, and a 16th century dwelling. Its park, classified as a remarkable garden, combines classic and Italian styles, with box hedges, cut yews and cypresses.

The building illustrates the architectural evolution of medieval fortresses in aristocratic residences, while preserving defensive elements such as moats and turrets. Its history reflects the changes of ownership among Norman noble families, as well as the successive adaptations to the tastes and needs of times, from the Middle Ages to its contemporary opening to the public.

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