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Origin and history

Martainville Castle is a late 15th century residence built by Jacques Le Pelletier, a rich bourgeois and Rouennais shipowner. Acquiring the fief in 1482, he began construction around 1485, transforming a rural residence into a symmetrical castle, inspired by strong castles but adapted to the residential needs of the time. The date of 1485, engraved on a window, marks the first confession given to the abbey of Saint-Ouen de Rouen, the duzeraine du fief.

In 1499, the death of his brother Richard allowed Jacques Le Pelletier to inherit his property and abandon the trade to devote himself to the beautification of Martainville. He died in 1511 without a male heir, leaving the estate to his nephew James II, who dilapidated family fortune. In 1571 his descendant Richard obtained from Charles IX the right to change his name into Martainville, marking the social ascent of the family.

In the 17th century, the castle, then owned by Louis de Martainville, saw its commons enlarged and its interiors transformed to adapt to life at the courtyard of Versailles. The last direct heir died in 1757, and the estate moved to the Couture families and then to Faudereau. Abandoned after 1870, he was saved in extremis by the state in 1906, after having been partially dismantled.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1889, the castle was restored in the 20th century, notably by Henri Gosselin around 1925. Since 1962, it has housed the Musée des Traditions et Arts Normands, founded by Daniel Lavallée, which gathers collections of furniture, costumes and objects from the 15th to the 19th century. The museum, labeled Musée de France, highlights the ethnographic heritage of Haute-Normandie.

Architecturally, Martainville is distinguished by its innovative symmetrical plan, with a central corridor and a rear turret staircase, inspiring castles like Chenonceau. The main façade, redesigned in the 16th century, includes a chapel and a bridge-to-bascule evoking castles. The materials — bricks cooked on site and Vernon stones — and the decorations of black varnished bricks in geometric patterns underline its originality.

The gardens, created in the 17th and 18th centuries, have been partially preserved and protected since 1997. The estate, surrounded by crenelated walls and turrets, includes a lower yard with outbuildings (colombier, barns) and a vast garden of pleasure. Today owned by the Seine-Maritime department, the castle combines architectural heritage and museumography dedicated to Norman popular arts.

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