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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The domaine des Ambésis, located in the hamlet of Grand-Ambésis at Mesnil-Saint-Denis, is a mansion built in the early eighteenth century. This monument is part of a property acquired at the end of the seventeenth century, reflecting the architectural and landscape evolution of the Île-de-France at that time. The house, surrounded by commons on both sides of a courtyard, is accompanied by an English park and a double vegetable garden, characteristic elements of the aristocratic or bourgeois domains of the period.

The construction of the house is attributed to Nicolas Tixerant, director of the Ice Factory, suggesting a link with the flourishing industry and commerce under the reign of Louis XIV and the Regency. East wing of the estate, including a chapel, could date from the late seventeenth century, while the west wing was rebuilt later, in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. A notable addition, a terraced roof in the middle of the facade on a garden, is attested before 1819, illustrating successive architectural changes.

The Ambésis estate has been partially protected since 1997, with an inscription covering the facades and roofs of the master house, the communes, the chapel, as well as the vegetable gardens, the enclosed park and an alley of lime trees. These elements highlight the heritage importance of the site, both for its architecture and for its landscaping, typical of the countryside residences of the Ancien Régime and early 19th century.

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