Jardin du Manoir de l'Aumônerie

Also known as the Knights Templar’s Farm, the Aumônerie Manor House is located a few kilometres from Rouen, in the town of Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville. Built in 1214 by the Knights Templars, the manor house is a typical example of 13th century architecture. This site comprises several outbuildings, a medieval garden planted with medicinal herbs and rare species, a boxwood maze, an orchard and Saint Gorgon Chapel, which was built in the 16th century.

That day, the children and I were going for a walk in Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville. I had heard there was a beautiful property we could visit: Aumônerie Manor House. We went by car and followed the sat nav. We drove through streets lined with houses. It was hard to imagine that there was a Manor House here! We reached the end of a small road, and here we were! As soon as we passed through the entrance gate, we discovered a pretty place. There was a gravel path and pretty wooden signs pointing towards the car park. Greenery is everywhere. We parked and got out of the car. The children quickly spotted a wooden sign pointing towards the "Boxwood maze". It was quite common in the Middle Ages for such a property to have a maze. They ran straight away to the maze and went into it. I had fun watching them, I could just see their heads over the hedges. “We did it!” they shouted as they got out. We walked towards the main entrance of the site. On our right, there were brochures with information on the history of the Manor House. We also discovered QR codes to scan, one for adults and one for children: what a brilliant idea! I handed my smartphone to the children so they could scan it themselves and they started to listen attentively to the audio. Meanwhile, I looked up towards the buildings that stood in front of me. A beautiful farmhouse and the famous Manor House! It is splendid and sets the scene. It looks like it was built with Caumont stones, a stone hat looks almost white given how light it is. I was carried away and started dreaming. I imagined the site in the 12th century and I could almost picture the Knights Templars working in the vegetable garden. I made the most of this moment to sit down on the chairs made available and fell into a reverie.

We continued our visit with the vegetable garden, which is also planted with medicinal herbs. The garden is simply stunning. The colours and the smells blend together creating a pleasant atmosphere. We enjoyed the beautiful views of the surrounding buildings. As soon as I saw a label I bent down to read it and, by the way, expand my knowledge. I went from one discovery to another. In the middle of the garden, stone basins filled with water. What could they be used for? They are used to cool the atmosphere down when it is hot! It was actually very pleasant on this sunny day. As we left the medieval garden, we came across a huge well! We bent down to have a closer look at it. It looked deep! We could hear our voices echoing against the walls.

We continued along the gravel path to a beautiful orchard. Deckchairs were placed on the grass. What a peaceful and relaxing setting. The blue sky came with the birdsongs, and we were lulled... What more could we ask for? Oh yes, I know! An architectural gem. And here I was, facing the tower of the Manor House. It is impressive and its roof is simply stunning. For me who is an architecture and history buff, what a treat! We could tell that this is the façade of the Manor house. In the past, the entrance of the property must have been on this side. Besides, in front of us we saw the lovely little Chapel Saint-Gorgon with its paintings dating from four centuries ago: extraordinary.

And there was the end of a delightful visit. The children had a great time and I was filled with wonder...