Acquisition of the domain 1980 (≈ 1980)
Purchase by the urban district of Saint-Lô.
1989
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum 1989 (≈ 1989)
Inauguration with ethnographic collections.
2004
Scenographic renovation
Scenographic renovation 2004 (≈ 2004)
Complete modernization of exhibitions.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jacques Monthulé - Founder of the association *Traditional Normandy*
Donor of collections for the museum.
Origin and history
The Norman bocage museum is housed in an old 19th century farmhouse on the outskirts of Saint-Lô. This site preserves a typical agricultural heritage, including a school apiary and an apple orchard where the pillage takes place each year to produce cider. These elements illustrate the living traditions of the Norman rural economy, between breeding, fruit farming and craftsmanship.
The museum project was born in 1980, when the urban district of Saint-Lô acquired the estate to create an ethnographic museum dedicated to Norman rural society, from the 19th century to the present. The association La Normandie Traditionnelle, founded by Jacques Monthulé, contributes by transferring part of its collections. The rest is established through the Regional Museum Acquisition Fund. The museum officially opened in 1989 and was completely renovated in 2004.
The museum's collections include iconic objects such as a beech kneading lodge (1850, 6.08 m long), a handcrafted tractor made after the Second World War by a local farmer, or a tangue knuckle, a hippomobile vehicle specific to the transport of marine fertilizers. A steam locomotive, used to actuate the throttles in the early 20th century, also testifies to the gradual mechanization of the countryside.
