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Origin and history

Canteloup Castle is a building from the 1st quarter of the 17th century, located in the communes of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts and Romilly-sur-Andelle, in the department of Eure (Normandy). Built around 1610 for Jacques II Hallé, from a family of bourgeois Rouennais, it replaces a fief attested since the twelfth century. The building embodies the architectural cannons of the era: massé plan, brick and stone facades, ramped central staircase, arched ground floor in basket cove, and corner turrets with a high roof. The whole is completed by outbuildings (commons, chapel Sainte-Marguerite, pantry with central corridor) reflecting its status as seigneurial residence.

The castle suffered a fire on April 24, 1910, requiring a major restoration in the early twentieth century, especially for its upper parts. This sinister event marks a turning point in its material history, although its original structure is largely preserved. The remarkable interior elements (ground floor, staircase, cellar, chapel) as well as facades and roofs are protected by decree of 2 December 1997, classifying the site as historical monuments.

The fief of Canteloup, mentioned from the twelfth century, illustrates the continued noble occupation of this territory. His acquisition by Jacques II Hallé in 1610 was part of a period of architectural renewal in Normandy, where urban elites (like the bourgeois of Rouen) invest in rural residences. The chapel of Sainte-Marguerite and the cellar, with its lateral niches, bear witness to the religious and utilitarian dimension of these domains. Today, the castle remains a private property, without systematic public access, but its heritage inscription guarantees its conservation.

Located on the banks of the Seine Valley, away from the village of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts, the castle enjoys a remarkable landscape, facing the Grande Île. This strategic location, both isolated and connected by the river, reflects the economic and social stakes of the modern era, where lords combine rural withdrawal and control of communication axes. The materials (red brick, limestone) and architectural style recall the Flemish and Parisian influences then in vogue in Normandy.

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