After the fire at the Château de Serquigny, the town hall should become its owner

By the end of the month, the Château de Serquigny should become the property of the town hall subject to agreement with the current owners. The building ravaged by flames at the end of 2023 should then be sold in order to be restored.

The large castle of Serquigny, located between Bernay and Le Neubourg in Eure, was largely destroyed by a fire on December 31, 2023. The 17th century building should soon belong to the town hall… Temporarily.

No more multiple owners interested in advantageous “historic monument” taxation, elected officials wish to find a trusted project leader for a worthy restoration of the 20 hectare site. “This is a project that exceeds the financial capabilities of the municipality.”specifies Frédéric Delamare Mayor of Serquigny.

Listed as a historic monument for its facades and roofs, its two entrance pavilions, its moat, its dovecote, its large avenue and the meadows which extend in front of the two main facades, the Château de Serquigny has been divided into lots in 2004.

Nearly 20 years later, the building caught fire and local politicians wanted to bring this place back to life but were confronted with its particularly complex legal situation, with around twenty priorities for the castle alone and around forty owners with different statuses on the entire Serquigny estate. “This fragmentation of the property by definition poses legal problems in order to be able to manage and find unity and a future for this Château de Serquigny.“, underlines Philippe Fournier-Montgieux, sub-prefect of the district of Bernay.

The municipality is positioning itself as a buyer and should recover most of the property titles, in exchange for a symbolic euro, within the coming weeks. “The municipality has reconnected with all the owners so that a project, a future can be envisaged for the great castle of Serquigny, whether public or private.“, indicates the mayor of Serquigny.

An acquisition before resale because the monument and its maintenance would cost the town hall too much. The security work alone cost 475,000 euros, financed by the Drac (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs), the Region, the Department, the Bernay Terres de Normandie intercom, the Heritage Foundation and the municipality. “A temporary roof has been installed, access to the windows is secureinforms the mayor, our great castle is able to wait, as short as possible, for the new project“, he reassures.

The future project turns out to be large-scale. The entire roof and parquet floors of the 600 square meter castle have disappeared, as has the north wing, which collapsed during the fire.

While awaiting reconstruction, the Sauvegarde du grand château de Serquigny association, which has nearly 150 members, is responsible for cleaning the annexed buildings and exteriors, after several years of neglect.