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Origin and history

Launay Castle, located in Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre in the department of Eure (Normandie), is an emblematic estate of Lieuvin, a natural region between Bernay and Pont-Audemer. Originally built in the 16th century, it was profoundly redesigned in the 18th century for the family Le Sens de Folleville, which made it an aristocratic residence. The main house, in limestone and brick, dates from shortly after 1720, while the pavilions and low wings were added in the same century. The dovecote and the commons, in wood, date back to the sixteenth century, illustrating the architectural evolution of the estate.

The park and gardens of Launay Castle were built after World War II in a classic French style. The estate, classified as Historic Monument in 1964 for its buildings and registered in 1991 for its surroundings, also includes agricultural elements such as a barn, a press and a sheepfold. The dovecote, disassembled and restored in Caen around 1940, was reassembled on site, highlighting the efforts to preserve this heritage. The site, always private, reflects the organisation of a Norman seigneurial estate, between noble residence and farm.

Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre, a rural commune in the north-west of the Eure, is marked by its agricultural history and its built heritage, of which the Launay Castle is a flagship. The area, once covered by the forest of Vièvre, preserves medieval traces, as evidenced by the local toponyms. The estate, with its outbuildings and its classified park, offers a representative example of the architecture and lifestyle of Norman rural elites between the 16th and 18th centuries.

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