Origin of manor house XVe siècle (≈ 1550)
Doves and entrance chestnut built.
1880-1900
Construction of model farm
Construction of model farm 1880-1900 (≈ 1890)
Agricultural brick buildings around a courtyard.
29 juillet 2005
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 29 juillet 2005 (≈ 2005)
Registration of the manor house and its machines.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The manor house is completely closed, with the agricultural machinery kept there (see box). A 16-18, 213): registration by order of 29 July 2005
Key figures
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The source text does not mention any historical actors.
Origin and history
The Besvre Manor House, located in Witternesse in the Hauts-de-France, has its origins in the 15th century, and today retains the moat and the entrance chestnut flanked by two towers. This medieval vestige, partially preserved, bears witness to the defensive architecture of the period, with a rare peculiarity in the region: the right tower houses a staircase in front of Saint-Gilles, a mode of covering not widespread locally. Major transformations took place between 1880 and 1900, when the site was equipped with a model farm organised around a square courtyard built of bricks.
The farm, designed as a modern agricultural complex for its time, gathers functional buildings still intact: ride to beat the wheat, barn, stables, stables, pig soda and dairy. These installations, accompanied by original agricultural machinery, illustrate the evolution of agricultural practices between the 19th and 20th centuries. Together, including the mansion and its outbuildings, it has been protected under the Historic Monuments since 2005, highlighting its architectural, technical and historical heritage value.
The site thus embodies a double identity: that of a medieval seigneurial mansion, marked by its defensive elements, and that of an innovative agricultural farm, reflecting the economic and social changes of the French countryside at the hinge of the 19th and 20th centuries. The exceptional preservation of its structures and equipment makes it a rare testimony of this transition.
