Yesterday
History
The seigneury of Canon, owned by Eudes de Canon in the Middle Ages, passed through a series of alliances and successions, notably to the Franqueville (15th century), Sarcilly (16th century) and le Sueur families, then to Thomas de Bérenger in 1689, of whom a part of the château in the park remains, later transformed into a factory.
A park imagined by a philanthropic lawyer
In 1768, Jean-Baptiste Elie de Beaumont, a philanthropic lawyer and friend of Voltaire, launched an audacious lawsuit to recover the Canon land. It had belonged fifty years earlier to his wife’s Protestant ancestor, who had been forced to sell it at a low price before fleeing the regime to England. Canon has all the natural elements needed to create a “magnificent and admirable” park, as dreamt of by Elie de Beaumont: a favorable climate, a river and springs, and the hills of the Pays d’Auge as a backdrop. These particular geographical features explain the perseverance of the lawyer, who after four years of legal battle won the case with the Conseil des Dépêches: the couple then took possession of the premises by royal deed, and immediately embarked on a major works program.
More than thirty workers set about doubling the surface area of the outbuildings, raising the château, terracing and planting the park, building the factories, digging the canals… Elie de Beaumont paid particular attention to perspective. His travels in England with Horace Walpole explain his avant-garde taste for the freedom of English style. Without an architect, he supervised all the work himself through daily correspondence with his steward. The granularity of the rendering on the garden walls, the choice and arrangement of plants, the layout of waterfalls to capture the sounds of nature, the proportions of the sculptures… he left no detail to chance, as evidenced by the letters preserved in the château archives.
The Elie de Beaumont couple at last shared the ideals dear to the philosophers of the Enlightenment. They thus instituted the “Good People” festival, during which the park became the scene of the crowning of the good old man or woman, rewarded and acclaimed for their virtue. The wreaths of roses and wheat carved on the château’s façade bear witness to the lasting imprint left by this humanist and festive event.
The art of gardens across the centuries
While the Elie de Beaumont family imbued the Parc de Canon with their spirit and personality, subsequent generations have looked after the estate in their own way, ensuring that it has survived to the present day.
Navigating the crises of history
Appreciated for his philanthropic activities, including the famous “Bonnes Gens” festival, Elie de Beaumont died shortly before the French Revolution. He leaves behind the memory of a benevolent lord who spared Canon from any form of vandalism.
Staying true to the original project
Thereafter, his descendants never abandoned Canon, continuing to live there and to love and maintain the premises. Although many of them had modernist visions, they nevertheless remained faithful to their ancestor’s project, and no changes were made to the park’s structure.
Avoiding the worst
Although the Second World War caused heavy damage due to the German occupation (walls, pillars, statues deteriorated), the estate was miraculously saved after the liberation. Transformed into a military hospital, it was protected from the bombardments that razed the surrounding area by the Red Cross flag flying from its roof.
Restore, rebuild and embellish
The post-war era left a complete, but much-damaged estate. Overgrown groves, silted-up canals, endangered mills… It took 50 years to replant, restore and make the park legible again. It was during this period that Antoinette de Carpentier began planting perennial beds in the then neglected Chartreuses area. She devoted her entire life to this creation, a real revival for the park.
Recovering from storms
The 20th century ended with the successive storms of 87, 89 and 99. The last one caused three hundred trees to fall. Canon has been identified as one of France’s most devastated parks, and the replanting of the avenues has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the French Heritage Society. Luckily, the most beautiful plane trees were spared. The structured family management already in place at the time made it possible to cope with these disasters and complete replanting within five years.
Decisive projects
In 2006, 2 major projects were undertaken: the restoration of all the upper parts of the château following the outbreak of merula, and the restoration of the Salle des Rosières to open it up for receptions.
These colossal projects marked the beginning of a turning point in Canon’s history: the opening of the estate to the public, with the aim of bringing the estate to life and ensuring its long-term future.
