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Origin and history

Sotteville Castle, or Sotteville Manor House, is a house built on the edge of the 16th and 17th centuries, located in the municipality of Sotteville, in the Manche department, in Normandy. It is representative of the Côtentinais architectural school, with its facades in Armo Rican sandstone and granite, its medieval pavilions, and its characteristic decorative elements such as unmoulded sills and triangular pediments. The seigneurial estate of Sotteville, which included two noble fiefs in the Middle Ages, was reunited in 1643 under one seigneurie.

The construction of the present castle is attributed to the Durevie family, who acquired the fief in 1490. The mansion was probably erected between 1593 and 1610, as evidenced by the bell dated 1610, named by Roberde de Cabourg, wife of Robert Durevie. The castle was then transferred by marriage to the Beaudrap family in the 18th century, which made architectural changes, including the addition of a north pavilion in 1773. In the 19th century, Henri de Beaudrap, together with architect Eugène Gutelle, profoundly remodelled the building, adding a pepper and enhancing the northern part.

The castle had troubled periods, especially during the Second World War, where it served as a headquarters for the 7th Panzerdivision of Rommel in 1940, then for German and American troops in 1944. After the war, there remained private property, partially classified and listed as historical monuments since the 1960s and 2000. Today, it belongs to the Larturière family, and only the outsiders are accessible to the visit in summer.

The communes, dating from the late 16th century, include a bakery, stables, dovecotes, and a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The park, redesigned in English around 1899, houses a piece of water fed by a stream, as well as a marine gun of 1812. The castle is a remarkable example of Norman manorial architecture, mixing Renaissance elements and subsequent modifications.

Among the protected elements are the facades and roofs of the castle, the communes, the park with its hydraulic system, as well as three inner chimneys and dovecotes. These protections, which took place between 1964 and 2002, underline the heritage value of the site. The castle of Sotteville, with its analogues such as those of Cinégast or Crosville, bears witness to a local architectural tradition marked by stone and the stylistic influences of the Renaissance.

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