Located in the Hauts-de-France, the Château de Barly was built between 1780 and 1800 and was classified in its entirety as a Historical Monument in 1971. Set within a green landscape, the Château de Barly is the archetype of Louis XVI style at its purest. You have to be here to really appreciate its architectural balance and the splendour of its interiors. And also, implicitly, to appreciate the determination of the owners whose knowledgeable dedication has made it a unique site in the region north of Paris.
The enchantment of a preserved château
Four Corinthian columns surmounted by a projecting pediment, glorifying Minerva, the goddess of war, stained glass bay windows edged with garlands, a corps de logis in white Artois stone topped by a slate mansard roof.
The Château de Barly is impressive not only for its preserved architectural ensemble but also for the accurateness of its Louis XVI style. Even specialists agree that the harmony of the volumes, accentuated by their perfect symmetry, make this a simply exceptional site. Built as the eighteenth century came to a close by the Blin de Barly family, this perfectly preserved château alone embodies the quintessence of French Neo-Classicism.
A century-old park, the soul of the estate
In Barly, the Virginia tulip tree, the Lawson cypress (California), the weeping ash, pines and other venerable lime trees gracing the Château de Barly constitute the soul of the estate. .
In Barly, the Virginia tulip tree, the Lawson cypress (California), the weeping ash, pines and other venerable lime trees gracing the Château de Barly constitute the soul of the estate. Entrusted to the care of the landscape architect Samuel Craquelin in 2002, the layout of the 2.15-hectare park is intrinsic to the beauty of the site. The park opens onto the château, and vice versa. It is an invitation to explore. There is a small arboretum, a water mirror, an orchard and a collection of hedges and shrubs which now mark the estate’s boundaries.
A guided but not rigid visit
Like the Edelweiss, Barly really comes into its own on fine days. We should point out that the role of guide here is taken on by students of History.
Which only makes the walk all the more refreshing. Your first few steps crunch on the gravel of the courtyard and then clatter on the cobbles of the farmyard. The visit continues with the separate chapel. But for many, the real spectacle is played out inside the château where everything seems to rise to a crescendo.
The entrance hall and grand staircase, in sculpted wood imitating cast iron, are the prelude to a symphony in three movements played in the adjoining rooms, lit from both sides: the Dining Room, the Entrance Salon and the Drawing Room embellished with cannelated pilasters. Refurnished with period furniture, these rooms have retained their period wooden panelling sculpted by the Arras-born Cesar Lepage. In one hour, two hundred and fifty years of history thus unfold before our astonished eyes.
The Château de Barly in practice
- 6, rue de l’Egalité – 62 810 Barly
- Tél. : +33 (0)3 21 48 41 20
- Open daily except Mondays, 1.00pm to 7.00pm, from 1st July to 16 August inclusive.
- Admission charges : €7 (adults) / €6 (group) / €3.5€ (under -18s) / free (under -10s)