Parc du Château d'Hugleville

Located in the Pays de Caux, Norman countryside famous for its flax fields, the Château belonging to The Hugleville family has a surprising history. It was with the Viking invasions that the first Hugleville family settled on this land, which was a farm in the 11th century. Their name was given to the village and comes from “huguer villa” meaning "Huguer's Farm”. Over the centuries, the property has evolved and constructions have followed one after the other. The current building dates back to the end of the 19th century. The surrounding garden is planted with a collection of hydrangeas as well as rare species...

I drove up the long driveway leading to the château. In the grand courtyard, I saw a flower bed and something caught my eye. In the centre, just in front of the flower bed, I noticed an impressive horse statue. I really thought it contributed to the elegance of the place and created a perspective on the château in the background. I love it! I parked and got out of the car. I was already soaking up the atmosphere of the place. I could feel it was steeped in history and I felt intimidated. I met the owner, Marquis Eric d’Hugleville, who welcomed me with a friendly smile. Today, I was lucky to explore this site and learn more about its rich, thousand-year old history! The garden is splendid. Its collection of hydrangeas is all the spectacular: I saw over a hundred of varieties with vibrant and soft colours. The contrasts were striking.
I continued my walk in the park behind the château. In the shade of the trees, or rather concealed beneath their canopy, I saw the remains of a V1 launch pad from 1944 as well as a bunker. During World War II, the Château d’Hugleville was occupied by the Germans who turned it into a command post. I was really impressed to see these reminders of the past. The Marquis d’Hugleville told me about this period in the family history and he even told me that the Germans had left frescoes on some of the walls of the castle.
I wandered around the park, making the most of the shade provided by the trees. The château appears in the distance, and I have to admit that the perspective of the park highlights it wonderfully. After a few steps, I stumbled upon a tree that seemed really old. I approached slowly to observe it more closely. It is undoubtedly a copper beech tree. It seems to watch over the whole park with its 350 years of existence. A few metres away, a cedar stands in the centre of the park. It is said that it was brought back from Austria in 1890 by the Marquis of the time who transported it in his hat! It now reaches 38 metres high.