Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Chaînes, located in Chevregny (Aisne), replaces the former castle destroyed in 1917 during the German offensive. The latter, built in 1716 by the notary J. Champion, was remodeled in the 19th century by the Boisgarnier family, then inherited by Henri Cherrier, a librophile and member of the Parisian elite. The First World War completely razed the estate, leaving nothing but ruins.

In 1919, Gabriel Cherrier, son of Henri, and his wife Angeline Boumanot (heritage of a Martinic dynasty) rebuilt an English-style manor house in pink bricks, flanked by two square towers. The park was redesigned and thousands of trees were replanted. The castle, organized according to a Haussmannian logic, had a floor reserved for servants, connected to the kitchens by a staircase of service.

The estate was transferred to Gabriel's sister, Geneviève, wife of Émile Jarriand (a manager at Saint-Gobain), and remained in the family until its sale in 1982. Ranked a Historical Monument in 2021, it illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the French bourgeoisie between the 19th and 20th centuries. The architect Paul Robine supervised his reconstruction, mixing tradition and modernity.

Among the notable figures related to the castle were Louis Abel Beffroy de Reigny, a playwright heir to the estate in the 18th century, and Louis Étienne Beffroy de Beauvoir, a registrable MP exiled in 1816. The site also preserves the memory of Jacques Clouët, squire of the Royal Academy of Equestrian Art of Lille, owner in the 18th century.

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