The chateau du Rombosc

In the past, the lands of Rombosc belonged to the Abbots of Fécamp under the barony of Fontaine-le-Bourg. In the 17th century, Jacques de Civile had the château built there and held the title of "Lord of Rombosc." The estate later passed to the Brossard de Grosmesnil family, and then to the Hue de Carpiquet family from lower Normandy, near Caen. The sarcophagus of the knight Ferdinand Pierre Gabriel Hue du Rombosc (1782, Bougy, Calvados – 1821, Château du Rombosc) can still be found in the Mont-Cauvaire cemetery.

In 1920, Mlle Morin d’Auvers wished to sell the château. Her nephew and heir, Mr Robert de Sevelinges, abandoned it; the estate was dismantled, the two farms sold, and there was even talk of pulling the château down. According to the current owner, it was Edmond Spalikowski, a writer from Clères, who successfully managed to have the roofs and facades listed as historic monuments. The building was saved! Finally, in 1931, Mr Vittecoq, a farmer from Fauville, bought the château along with the adjoining grazing land—just over four hectares. The new owner carried out the most urgent repairs, rescuing it from ruin. He kept it until 1941, when the property was purchased by the commune of Déville-lès-Rouen to set up a summer camp.

During the 1970s, the château served as a boarding house for pupils of the Clères secondary school during term time, and as premises for the Déville summer camp during the long holidays.

The Château de Rombosc was sold in 1974 to private individuals, Mr and Mrs Levieux, from Déville-lès-Rouen. It became a hotel frequented by the Rouen bourgeoisie. Seminars, conferences, and formal meals were held there, but the building—especially the exterior—did not benefit from high-quality maintenance. In 1988, the David Marescot family from Paris acquired the château, selling it on in 1991 to the Mahiu family, who remain the owners today. Extensive works were then undertaken. The most significant was the total restoration of the 17th-century chapel, where a few Masses are now celebrated each year. Above the central building, the lantern has regained its small lead roof. The gutters have been completely replaced, as has the wiring, which no longer met modern standards and had become dangerous. The next major project is the restoration of the outbuildings, involving a significant overhaul of the timber frames and roofs. The entire château will require large-scale work spanning several generations…

Architecture of the Château (from a Paris Normandie article, 13 August 1985):

"The château is built according to the standard 17th-century layout of brick and stone. Behind it, forming a terrace, the French formal garden attributed to Le Nôtre has been modified. On the main twin-bodied facade, beneath a vast slate roof crowned at its centre by an elegant bell tower, the Château du Rombosc displays fine stonework and pink brick. Two orders are superimposed on this face: the Ionic at the level of the capitals and, above it, near the dripstone, the severity of the Doric.

A triangular pediment marks the centre of the facade, mirrored by the small pediment crowning the entrance door, while on the roofs, one can admire the chimney stacks and finials.

At the entrance to the courtyard of honour, the iron railings are framed between solid, squat pillars with stone and brick rustication."

Before 1920, the château was surrounded by magnificent trees: five rows of beeches, conifers, and a tree said to be "the tallest tree in the world" (see the attached text by Eugène Noel regarding the great sequoia).

Note: The facades and roofs have been listed on the inventory of historic monuments since 10 June 1932.