Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Filières, located in Gommerville, Seine-Maritime, finds its origins in the 15th century. In 1467 Jehan de Filières acquired the Lower fiefs and built a large house surrounded by moat, after the destruction of the previous castle during the Hundred Years War. This first building was burned in 1591 by the Marquis de Villars, a supporter of the League, and rebuilt around 1599 in a Henri IV style by Catherine Le Canu, heiress of the estate.

In the 18th century, Louise-Catherine Chardon de Filières and her son, the Marquis de Mirville, decided to partially replace the building with a white stone residence, attributed to architect Victor Louis. The works, begun in 1768, retained the left pavilion of the castle Henri IV. Unlike a local legend, the Revolution did not interrupt the work. The castle, surrounded by 15th century moats, has remained in the same family since 1467, without ever having been sold.

During World War II, the castle was occupied by German officers, who built a launch ramp for V1 in the park, never used. Ranked a historic monument in 1946 and 1947 for its living rooms and dining room, the estate also includes a protected natural site since 1942. Today, it belongs to the Marquis de Persian, a direct descendant of Jehan de Filières, and houses a collection of clothing assembled by the Marquise Marie-Louise de Persian, who died in 2021.

The architecture of the castle combines elements of the 16th and 18th centuries, like a Louis XVI facade surmounted by a pediment carved with the coat of arms of the Eudes de Catteville and Chardon de Filières families. Inside, the living rooms on the ground floor, including a decorated with Chinese paintings, and a library containing the writings of the Marquis of Mirville on spiritism, testify to his rich past. The French-style park, planted with rhododendrons and centuries-old trees, completes this remarkable ensemble.

Among the successive owners are figures such as the Marquis de Mirville, known for his work on occult sciences in the 19th century, or Antoine Hocquart de Turtot, grand-uncle of the current owner, who created the PMU in 1931. The castle, still privately owned, regularly visits and preserves historical remains, including the tomb of Elizabeth Aspinwall (1783) and the foundations of the ramp of V1.

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