Aunoy Castle

In Champeaux, not far from the collegiate church, the Aunoy domain has conserved its original architecture from the classical era. The castle and its jewel : an English-style park dating from the 18th century are listed in the inventory of Historical Monuments.
The seigneury of Aunoy is attested as early as 1180 and at the beginning of the 18th century, a medieval castle flanked by towers is still visible.

It was following a fire which occurred in 1750 that ravaged the old residence that the owner Jean-Baptiste Chabert, stockbroker, took the opportunity to completely remodel the domain, moving the dwelling further to the west, keeping only a few feudal features such as the dovecote and two small towers. The residence desired by Chabert is characteristic of the architecture of noble country houses. The Château d'Aunoy presents an important particularity ; it is devoid of ceiling and wooden framework. The roofing technique used is that of brick ceilings and attics.

The castle barely completed, Chabert resold it in 1754, to his younger son. It then passed by marriage to the famous Parisian lawyer Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Gerbier, in 1761.

Gerbier commissioned, from an English gardener whose name remains unknown, new gardens in the English style. The visits of the Prince de Conti and the Duchess of Chartres, themselves enthusiasts and patrons of English-style gardens, made this park a fashionable garden. It is one of the first English-style parks created in France.

The castle park is today known for its majestic hybrid plane tree (Platanus x hispanica) of 30m high and 8m in circumference which extends over a span of more than 40m. About 200 years old, it is also classified as a "remarkable tree of Seine-et-Marne" (source CAUE77).

In the 1960s, the property belonged to Emmanuel Motte, the style director of the mythical Maison Jansen, who undertook major restoration works both in the castle and in the park. He decorated the living rooms in the 18th century style, removed the roofs of the low wings and made many improvements in the park.

Currently, property of Mr Tapiau, a former antique dealer and art collector, the castle's outbuildings are now fitted out to host seminars and receptions.