Gravure de Sandérus, 1638
Located just 45 minutes from Lille, at the heart of the typical Flemish village of Esquelbecq, this 17th century Renaissance Château is one of the few remaining treasures of Flemish heritage in the region.
The château is surrounded by large moats and has conserved its medieval layout of a quadrilateral courtyard with eight towers and Flemish spur gables, whose origins date back to the 13th century.
It was in 1945 that this remarkable building was acquired by the Morael family, who originated from Flanders. They lived in the Château up until the collapse of the keep and the north wing in 1984.
‘I was 6 years old when the 33 metre high keep collapsed, bringing the north wing down along with it. This was disastrous -not only for my family but for the village of Esquelbecq.
In 1985 it needed to be totally reconstructed : A task that seemed insurmountable to us. Uninhabited and exposed to the elements, it wasn’t until 2005 that my parents embarked upon the first phase of reconstruction work on the château.’
Vue aile nord 1984 suite à la chute du donjon
‘It was just over a year ago that I decided to devote myself to the restoration of this historic family estate. Thanks to our team- made up of both employees and volunteers, the gardens were able to reopen to the public last summer with a variety of events and exhibitions, including concerts by torchlight.
In 2017, The Château was awarded the ‘Prix Villandry’ for the restoration of its gardens, with a grant towards the renovation of the greenhouse. It was also awarded Le Grand Trophée 2017 for the most beautiful restoration and for the general work that has been carried out on the property over the past 10 years.
Vue du château en 2017
This year (2018), our team have multiplied their efforts and are continuing tirelessly, working towards opening the Chateau up to the public.
Work in progress:
- Reconstruction of the greenhouse- planned completion April 2018.
- Restoration of the reception rooms- including restitution of stucco cornicing, decorative paintings, woodwork and panelling.
The money raised will enable us to protect the château from the elements. In order to safeguard the work accomplished inside; the north wing needs 17 new window frames!
The total budget is 78 488€ TTC
Financial plan:
State funded: 50%: 39 744 €
Personal finance: 27 744 €
Crowd funding: 12 000€
Our aim is for all of the windows to be redone identically, or restored by local craftsmen from Haut de France… but we are lacking 12 000 euros!
We are counting on you to help us reinstall windows in the North Wing!
The brick facade has been reconstructed but the gaping holes where the window frames should be, once again bring a gloomy reminder of the ill-fated collapse of the keep! It is time to leave this bad memory in the past and to start promoting the architectural heritage of our region with the restoration of our Renaissance château.
If the fundraising target is exceeded, we will use the additional funds to lay down a solid floor in this wing, in order to make the most of this large 150m2 space that overlooks the garden!
You can support this project by;
Making an online donation on this site, after registering and connecting on – www.dartagnans.fr
Making a bank transfer on this site, after registering and connecting on- www.dartagnans.fr
- by sending a check (to: Johan Tamer), by mentioning you email address, to :
Dartagnans
Campagne Château d'Esquelbecq
1 rue de Châteaudun
75009 Paris
you can contact us
By email: [email protected]
and follow us on Facebook: @chateaudesquelbecq
- Le Figaro magazine: Article paru en octobre 2017
- France 3
- Fondation de la demeure Historique
- La DRAC des Hauts de France
