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Origin and history

The château of Querrieu has its origins in the Middle Ages, although little is known about this period. He was visited by kings Francis I in 1517 and Henry IV in 1595, before being burned in 1636 by the Spanish armies during the siege of Corbie. This first medieval castle, today destroyed, leaves room for reconstruction in the seventeenth century.

In the 17th century, the seigneury of Querrieu passed to the family of Gaudechart by the marriage of Robert Gaudechart with Gabrielle de Saveuse in 1596. François de Gaudechart, a camp marshal, had the castle rebuilt in brick and stone. In 1652 the seigneury was elevated to the rank of marquisat. After the death of her husband in 1735, Anne-Françoise Perrin, marquise douirière, undertook major changes of the castle.

The 19th century marked a new phase of transformation under the impetus of Princess Clementine-Charlotte de Rohan, widow of Louis François de Gaudechart. Between 1830 and 1840, the castle was raised from one floor, wings were added, and the park was enlarged. A monumental gate is built, opening onto the village. These adjustments still remain today. On the death of the last Marquis de Querrieu in 1878, the castle passed to his cousin, Marie-Thérèse de Gaudechart, wife of Count Alvar d'Alcantara, the Belgian family who still owned it.

During the First World War, Querrieu Castle played a strategic role as headquarters of the 4th British Army commanded by General Rawlinson. This is where the Somme offensive was prepared in 1916. The castle hosts major figures such as King George V, Prince of Wales, Marshal Foch and Lord Balfour. German captured cannons were stored there, some of which are now on display in London. In 1927, Juan d'Alcantara obtained the right to add Querrieu to his name.

The castle, partially listed as historical monuments in 1998, preserves medieval elements such as the bases of two semicircular towers. The central building, rebuilt in the seventeenth century, is raised from one floor to the nineteenth century, with a roof hidden by a balustrade. Interior decorations, mainly from the 19th century, include panelling, marquetry parquet floors and a remarkable staircase. The English park, enlarged in the 19th century, houses centuries-old trees and a canal with circular basin.

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