Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Manor House of the Estrasselle, located in Beuvry in the Hauts-de-France, is an architectural complex composed of two houses of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, surrounded by ditches. The first house, probably built around 1530 by the Esmenault family, has defensive features such as fire openings and a drawbridge. Its brick walls, decorated with geometric motifs, and sandstone frames reflect the influence of local materials. The site, initially fief seigneurial, was mentioned in 1435, but its first built certificate dates back to 1569, when it was rented to a ploughman by the family of Croix, heiress of the Esmenault by marriage.

The construction of the second house in 1629, dated by a chronograph on its lintel, marks an extension of the mansion under the family of Croix. This house, in square with the first, integrates more elaborate decorative elements, such as carved doorways and 17th century wall paintings, partially preserved despite the fire of 2004. The mansion, rented as a farm from 1666, passed into the hands of noble families (du Pont, Malet de Coupigny) until the Revolution. Its ditches, its peaper tower and its snout windows illustrate its dual use: seigneurial and firm residence.

In the 19th century, the estate became a modern farm, with the addition of a water mill (1851) then steam, before being transformed into a brewery. Occupied by British troops during the First World War, he was saved from ruin by his inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1966. In the 1970s, Philippe Decroix, curator of heritage, created an association to restore it and set up an agricultural museum. The 2004 fire destroyed some of the interiors, including classified murals, but rehabilitation works (2016) gave the mansion its original appearance, with flat roof tiles and restored brick facades.

The archaeological excavations of 2015 revealed the evolution of the site, from its role as medieval fief until its decline as rented farm. Supporting families, such as the de Croix or the Malet de Coupigny, have left architectural traces (blasons, chronographs). Today, owned by the city of Béthune-Bruay, the manor house awaits a new cultural vocation, while preserving its protected elements: ditches, tower-porch, logis with wooden strips, and interior decorations (paintings, monumental chimneys).

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