Manoir du Bois Adam
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir du Bois Adam, located in La Chapelle-Urée (Manche), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- La Chapelle-Urée, Manche, Normandie
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA50000009
Perched high in the Normandy bocage, the Manoir du Bois Adam offers a unique 180° panorama, crowned by a rare astronomical sundial dating from 1759 and signed Louis XV panelling.
History
Nestling on a hilltop in La Manche, on the borders of the departments of Orne, Mayenne and Ille-et-Vilaine, the Manoir du Bois Adam is one of those discreet jewels of Normandy's heritage that are a revelation to the discerning visitor. Far removed from tourist folklore, it combines the sober elegance of manorial architecture from the end of the Grand Siècle with an intimate art of living, preserved down to the finest detail for three centuries. What makes Le Bois Adam truly unique is first and foremost its location: the manor house overlooks the bocage countryside from a hill that gives its terraced garden an exceptional panoramic view. The view, unrivalled in the region, embraces a horizon of several dozen kilometres, blended into the changing light of the Normandy bocage. This choice of landscaping is no accident: the terrace, organised around a large central axis, was designed to orchestrate this dialogue between domestic architecture and the immensity of the landscape. At the heart of the garden stands an astronomical sundial dating from 1759 - a piece of rare scientific and artistic quality, given to Jacques de Boisadam for his birthday - which in itself is a reason to visit. It stands as a silent testament to the erudition of successive owners, in a walled park punctuated at the southern corners by two belvedere towers. The interior is equally surprising: the two drawing rooms have retained their original panelling from the early 18th century. The small, sober and curved drawing room leads to the large drawing room, whose chiselled woodwork bears witness to a high level of craftsmanship, mysteriously signed "E. TAF". These intact decorations make Le Bois Adam a living document of rural Norman aristocratic life. Visitors can also take time to stroll beneath the Lebanese cedar, planted in 1847 and brought back from a trip to the Holy Land, whose majestic silhouette punctuates the garden with a note of romanticism. Photographers, interior architecture enthusiasts and landscape gardeners who love views will find this a destination well worth the diversions.
Architecture
The Manoir du Bois Adam is in the tradition of Norman manorial architecture from the late 17th century, combining sober volumes with high-quality interior decoration. The main building, built on a base adapted to the sloping hillside, features a north-facing facade punctuated by a central forebuilding that was converted in 1890 to include an additional storey and a four-sided slate roof, giving the building a more slender silhouette than the original. Its position overlooking the hedged farmland, at the top of a hill, is an architectural feature in itself: the building is designed to take advantage of a 180° panorama, which is its major landscape asset. The interior boasts an exceptional collection of early 18th-century panelling, divided between two rooms of distinctly different character. The smaller salon is more soberly decorated, with wainscoting in the Regency style; the larger salon is more solemn, with richly carved woodwork bearing the mysterious signature "E. TAF", which can only be attributed to a master craftsman from Normandy. These intact decorations make the interior of Bois Adam a rare testimony to the aristocratic rural lifestyle of Louis XV. The terraced garden, a natural extension of the dwelling, is enclosed on three sides by masonry walls, punctuated at the south-east and south-west corners by small circular towers acting as belvederes. The garden is laid out along a large central axis, at the end of which sits the astronomical sundial dating from 1759, a remarkable piece of scientific design that forms the centrepiece of this classically elegant, uncluttered landscape.
Related Figures
Gillonne de Tesson — héritière qui apporte le terrain en dot vers 1690, à l'origine de la fondation du manoirCharles de Boisadam — époux de Gillonne, premier propriétaire et commanditaire de la constructionJacques de Boisadam — petit-fils du fondateur, récipiendaire du cadran solaire astronomique en 1759Jean-Baptiste de Tesson — acquéreur du manoir en 1823, restaurateur de la terrasse et commanditaire des écuriesE. TAF — artisan menuisier ou ébéniste, auteur des boiseries des salons, dont l'identité reste mystérieuse
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir du Bois Adam located?
Manoir du Bois Adam is located in La Chapelle-Urée, Manche department, Normandie region, France.
When was Manoir du Bois Adam built?
Manoir du Bois Adam dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir du Bois Adam open to visitors?
Manoir du Bois Adam is currently closed to visitors.