Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The estate of Valgenceuse, located in Senlis, Oise, was mentioned in 1396 as the property of the dean of the Saint-Frambourg Chapter, who donated it to his death in the chapter. Returned in 1582 to the Bréguet family, then to Crochet (17th century), the estate saw its first landscape developments: creation of a regular park and a water mirror along the Nonette. A first castle, now disappeared, was built under the property of Lebel in 1656.

At the end of the 18th century, the present castle was rebuilt in a neo-classical style, while the regular garden was transformed into a landscaped park, however retaining the 17th century grove. The estate became a place of literary sociability in the 19th century under the impulse of Louise-Célina de Junquières, Marquise de Giac, who received Alfred de Vigny, Gérard de Nerval, and Alexandre Dumas father and son. Orangery then serves as a theatre for performances inspired from the place, such as the new Caesarine from Alexander Dumas son.

Ranked a historic site in 1943, the estate saw part of its park amputated in 1964 by the construction of the A1 motorway. Today, it has been protected under the title of historical monuments (partly classified in 1942, inscription in 1992) and labeled "Remarkable Garden" since 2004. The park mixes 17th and 18th century heritages: French grove, factories (colonnade, ice-cream in fake ruin), terrace classified with balustrade and statues, as well as an English garden around the castle.

The architecture of the castle, sober and symmetrical, consists of a central body surmounted by a pediment, rhythmized by niches housing statues and busts. The west facade, flanked by two discreet wings, opens onto a balustrade terrace overlooking the water mirror. The estate also preserves a maze of boxwood and a vegetable garden, testimonies of its past uses. La Nonette, which crosses it, has been integrated as an essential landscape since the 17th century.

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