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Origin and history

The Aubenton Manor House, built in the 1st quarter of the 17th century, occupies the site of a medieval house that remains 13th century cellars, renovated in the 16th century. The 1612 vintage, once visible, and the shape of the windows confirm its dating. Located near the ramparts, it would have played a defensive role. Its wing in return, housing stables on the ground floor, dates from the eighteenth century. The mansion was owned by Louis Henri de Bourbon, prince of Condé, then by his son Henri de Condé, who offered it to his mistress, Miss Dawes, before passing to the Countess of Poligny. The interior decor, redesigned in the 19th century, includes panelling and an oak staircase of that time.

The posterior square turret was added between 1872 and 1880, while at the end of the 19th century, the manor house became the Hostellerie du Vieux Manoir, a hotel for travellers. The building, made of bricks and limestone, features a long-paned roof and round-rumped skylights. Its landscaped park, redesigned since the 1980s, houses a thatched pavilion and a rock. The facades and roofs (excluding stair tower) have been listed as historical monuments since 1978.

Medieval cellars, in chalk and brick, evoke an underground refuge from the 15th to 16th century. The mansion also preserves mesh oak woodwork, 19th-century stucco fireplaces and panelling. Its built-in stone gate and its fence wall, partly made of cut stone, complete this architectural complex marked by successive transformations, reflecting its evolution from fortified houses to aristocratic residence, then to hotel establishments.

Under the Restoration, the mansion was linked to the family of Condé, before being acquired by the Countess of Poligny. Local archives (Fonds Piette, DRAC Picardie) and historical works, such as those of Alphonse Pire or Edward Bercet, document its history. The property, located 1 rue du Coq Vert, illustrates Thierachian architecture, mixing medieval heritage, 17th century classicism and 19th century additions.

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