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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Normandie
  4. Eure
  5. 27400 au Mesnil-Jourdain

  6. Domaine de la Croix Richard

Domaine de la Croix Richard dans l'Eure

Eure

Domaine de la Croix Richard


    27400 au Mesnil-Jourdain
Photo de Domaine de la Croix Richard
Crédit photo : Gregofhuest - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1910
Construction of the castle
avant 1925
Castle elevation
18 janvier 2021
Registration for historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The following parts of the estate of the Richard Cross: the Louis XVI style castle in its entirety, the facades and roofs of the chalet in Switzerland, the wall of the domain and the entrance porch, the floors of the parcels constituting the estate, located at the place called Le Bois d'Acquigny, on parcels n° 1, 3, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, appearing in cadastre section B and on parcels n° 92, 93 and 94, appearing in cadastre section ZE: inscription by order of 18 January 2021

Key figures

Henri Jacquelin - Architect Designed the castle in 1910.
Jules Audresset - Textile industry Buyer of the land, builder of the cottage.
Marguerite Audresset - Heir and sponsor Have the castle built with her husband.
Pierre Réveilhac - Marguerite Audresset's husband Co-commander of the castle, friend of Henri Jacquelin.

Origin and history

The estate of the Richard Cross, located at Mesnil-Jourdain in the Eure, is a neo-Louis XVI castle built in the early twentieth century. It consists of a central body with side pavilions, a triangular pediment and ionic columns, reflecting classical architectural influence. The estate also includes a Swiss chalet, built at the end of the 19th century by Jules Audresset, textile industrialist, on a wooded plot called Bois d'Acquigny. This chalet, surrounded by Austrian black pine trees, was initially used as a hunting lodge before the castle was erected.

In 1910, Henri Jacquelin, architect and friend of Pierre Reveillehac (genre of Jules Audresset), designed the castle for Marguerite Audresset and her husband. The project incorporates innovations for the time, such as running water via a tank and electricity produced by natural means. The castle was raised before 1925, adding a lofty floor. The facades, roofs, the enclosure wall and the grounds of the estate are listed as historical monuments on January 18, 2021, recognizing their heritage value.

The estate illustrates the evolution of bourgeois residences at the beginning of the twentieth century, combining classical architectural heritage and technical modernity. The Swiss chalet, prior to the castle, bears witness to the eclectic tastes of the Norman industrial elite, while the castle embodies their desire for prestige, inspired by aristocratic models. The sculptures (abundance baskets) and wrought iron balustrades underline this aesthetic ambition.

Prior to its construction, the site was a pristine forest of buildings, as evidenced by the cadastre of 1823 and 19th-century staff maps. The acquisition by Jules Audresset, then the transformation by his daughter and son-in-law, marks the transition from a natural space to an organized domain, reflecting the social and economic dynamics of industrial Normandy.

Today, the estate of the Richard Cross, with its castle, chalet and park, offers a preserved example of eclectic architecture and lifestyles of the Norman bourgeoisie at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its recent listing among historical monuments guarantees its conservation for future generations.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum