History of the site

A FAMILY ESTATE FOUNDED IN 1620

This estate, which has remained in the same family since its creation, was founded in 1620 by Charles Le Pesant, Gentleman Ordinary of the King's Chamber, Knight of his order, magistrate and captain of one of the bourgeois militias. A maternal cousin of the Corneilles, he welcomed the famous playwright Pierre Corneille to his château in 1633, on the occasion of a royal performance in Forges-Les-Eaux.

The original Château de Boisguilbert was also the childhood home of Pierre Le Pesant de Boisguilbert (1646-1714), economist under Louis XIV and grandson of Charles Le Pesant. His rich and seminal work earned the estate the prestigious "Maison des illustres" label awarded by the French Ministry of Culture in 2013.

The estate and its buildings have been constructed over the centuries. The pavilion and chapel were erected in 1625, while the present château dates from 1780, built on the foundations of the former Louis XIII manor house by the grandson of Pierre Le Pesant de Boisguilbert. The greenhouse and north-side extension were added in the 19th century.

In 1983, landscape sculptor Jean-Marc de Pas inherited the château and decided to create a poetic sculpture garden, open to the public, on the seven hectares of parkland surrounding it. His brother Thierry received the farm buildings, including the 17th-century dovecote, and took over the pony club founded by their father, Louis de Pas, in the 1960s.