Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château du Broutel, located in Rue dans la Somme, was built in the 18th century from the recovered materials of the citadel demolished after 1668, in accordance with the Treaty of Aachen. Destined to Jean-Baptiste Loisel, cavalry officer of Louis XIV, he was completed after his death. The estate spans 16 hectares, mixing brick and stone, and incorporates decorative elements such as 18th century frescoes.

Jean Loisel Le Gaucher, descendant of Joseph Vernet's first owner and pupil, decorated the living room with frescoes around 1760 and painted panels for the castle of Arry. The building suffered damage during the Revolution, especially at the roof, and was restored in 1824. During the Second World War, he served as headquarters for the Second German Army, as evidenced by engraved inscriptions (including swastikas) on the windows.

The castle belonged for a long time to the Hautefeuille family before being acquired in 1974 by the Lasorne family, then by Lionel Leroy (former director of Leroy Merlin establishments), who undertook important restoration work. In the 1990s it was converted into a three-star hotel under the name Château Aventure, also hosting stays for British children. At the end of the 20th century, a British company, Globebrow, purchased the estate and continued the renovation of outbuildings and surrounding areas.

Partially classified as Historic Monuments in 1969, the castle protects its facades, roofs, a living room decorated with mural paintings, a room Louis XV with frescoes, as well as the floor of the old garden and an alley of century-old trees. Today, the seven-hectare wooded park and its private lake complete this remarkable architectural and landscape ensemble.

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