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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The château de Querrieu, situated on horseback in the communes of Querrieu and Pont-Noyelles in the Somme, has its origins in the Middle Ages. Although little detail remains over this period, it is known that he received the kings Francis I in 1517 and Henry IV in 1595. Destroyed by a fire in 1636 during the siege of Corbie by the Spanish armies, it was rebuilt in the seventeenth century by the family of Gaudechart, who made it a marquisate in 1652.

In the 19th century, the castle underwent major transformations under the impetus of Princess Clementine-Charlotte de Rohan, widow of Louis François de Gaudechart. It raised the building from one floor, added wings and enlarged the park, surrounding the entire wall of a enclosure. After the death of the last Marquis de Querrieu in 1878, the estate passed to his cousin Marie-Thérèse de Gaudechart, wife of Count Alvar d'Alcantara, whose descendants still owned it.

During World War I, the castle became a strategic headquarters for British forces. In 1916, General Rawlinson prepared the Somme offensive, and the site welcomed figures such as King George V, Marshal Foch and Lord Balfour. German guns captured were stored there before being transferred to London. The castle, partially classified as a historical monument in 1998, remains a memorial to the Great War.

Architecturally, the castle combines medieval elements, such as semicircular towers, with 17th and 19th century transformations. Its English park, enlarged in the 19th century, houses centuries-old trees and a canal decorated with a circular basin. The interiors, mostly from the 19th century, are distinguished by their panelling, marquetry parquet floors and a remarkable staircase.

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