Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The park of M. de Torcy's house, located in Éclaron-Braucourt-Sainte-Livière in the Great East, has its origins in the first half of the 19th century. In 1834, General Charles-François de Ponthon had his home rebuilt, and a plan of 1843 attested to the initial disposition of the park, almost entirely transformed thereafter. This site was thoroughly redesigned in 1875 by his granddaughter, who entrusted his reconception to the seed farmer Gabriel Arbeaumont, a specialist in landscape gardens.

The new park, designed in the romantic spirit of the 19th century, favours circular aisles and an irregular route, combining common species with exotic trees. Gabriel Arbeaumont, however, preserved some original elements, such as the vegetable garden, while integrating picturesque factories, including a log-decorated house and a small wooden house serving as a fruit tree. These arrangements reflect the influence of the landscape theories of the time, where nature and artifice combine to create evocative landscapes.

Ranked a Historic Monument, the park is now protected for its heritage and landscape interest. The inscription by order of 7 July 2006 refers specifically to Parcel AH 177, highlighting its historical and aesthetic value. Although the exact address has evolved (21 rue de Ponthon initially, then 31 rue de la Gare according to GPS coordinates), the site remains a remarkable testimony of garden art in the 19th century in Champagne-Ardenne.

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