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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

La Ferme de la Valouine, also known as the Valouine Manor House, is a house in the commune of Osmoy-Saint-Valery in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy. Built in 1602 for the seigneur of Ricarville, it illustrates the architectural principles of Charles Estienne and Olivier de Serres, with operating buildings organized around a rectangular courtyard. The house, flanked by two towers and a double ramp staircase, dominates the whole, while a porch tower bears the date of construction.

The building, built of stone, flint and bricks, has a rich decoration, which once featured fleurs de lilies, erased during the French Revolution. In the 17th century, the estate belonged to a "quarter of the fief de haubert", stressing its seigneurial importance. Ranked a historic monument by decree of February 11, 1930, the mansion bears witness to the Norman rural architecture of the early seventeenth century.

The layout of the buildings respects a functional organization typical of the time: three sides dedicated to the farm and one side reserved for the house. The porch tower, dated 1602, marks the entrance of the whole, while the brick elevations have neat decorative patterns. This site, both residential and agricultural, reflects the architectural and social practices of post-Renaissance Normandy.

Today, the Valouine farm remains a preserved example of the seigneurial and agricultural architecture of the early seventeenth century. Its classification among historical monuments in 1930 allowed to preserve its original characteristics, despite the alterations suffered during the Revolution. The site continues to bear witness to the local history and construction techniques of its time.

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