Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Doulton House is a pavilion designed for the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1878, where it represented England and served as a showcase for the productions of the Doulton and Lambeth manufacture, specialized in architectural terracotta. Its facade, richly decorated with polychrome terracotta elements, illustrated the know-how of this English company. After the exhibition, the façade was dismantled and then re-entered the Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) park, where it was integrated into a house built in the background. The Gothic Revival style of the pavilion, marked by ogival bays and medieval details, reflects the influence of the picturesque English movements of the time.

The architect J. Starke Wilkinson, author of the project, signed an emblematic work of the 19th century Franco-English artistic exchanges. The façade, classified as a historical monument in 2012, is distinguished by its polychromy (baked earth and marine blue stones) and its carved motifs, including an angel symbolizing love in the upper part. Initially ephemeral, this pavilion became a lasting testimony of industrial art and universal exhibitions, while integrating into the local heritage of the Yvelines.

Today, 30 Pascal Avenue in Maisons-Laffitte, Doulton House retains a heritage value linked to its dual history: that of an international exhibition pavilion and that of a private residence in the heart of a park. Its listing in the inventory of historical monuments highlights its architectural and historical interest, while recalling the role of universal exhibitions in disseminating aesthetic and technical innovations.

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