Bois des Moutiers is a 30-acre estate in Varengeville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, well-known for its rhododendrons, azaleas, and magnolias. It is a historical monument, and its gardens are listed as “Remarkable Gardens of France.” The estate features a large park that overlooks the sea, formal gardens surrounding the manor house, and is home to the descendants of the original owner, Guillaume Mallet. The house and gardens are a unique example of the work by the famous English partnership of architect Edwin Lutyens and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.
Guillaume Mallet became the owner of a large valley overlooking the sea in 1897, which he acquired while it was still wild. Over the next forty years, he took great care in creating a large park, and in 1898, he entrusted Edwin Lutyens, a young British architect, with the enlargement and renovation of his residence and Gertrude Jekyll, a celebrated English garden designer, with the garden arrangement. The house and gardens were designed to be looked at from one another, and every detail of wrought iron and woodwork was taken care of during their creation.
The Bois des Moutiers is conceived as a full-fledged work, with every element of the building and garden crafted as a unique, relatively plain work of art. Many of the original Morris & Co furnishings of the house remain, and the entrance to each bedroom features a Pre-Raphaelite portrait in bas-relief on the wall, including one of Jane Morris. The acidic soil and maritime climate make it favorable for introducing species such as Himalayan rhododendrons and azaleas from China, and the gardens offer seven enclosed areas of unique atmosphere, created by various colors and scents mixed together.
Guillaume Mallet and his wife Marie-Adelaïde died in 1946, and their son André and his wife Mary inherited the estate, which had been badly damaged during World War II. The whole family devoted their energies to restoring the estate to its original condition, and in 1970, the Mallet family opened the property to the public. Since its opening, two million people have visited the park, for which it is considered one of the most beautiful gardens of France.
Maintaining the estate has become increasingly difficult for the current owner, Antoine Bouchayer-Mallet, and the inheritance laws of the Code Napoléon mean that ownership is now legally divided between 11 people. In the next generation, there will be many more, and Bouchayer-Mallet has considered putting the estate up for sale, possibly through an English estate agency. It is uncertain whether Bois des Moutiers will be open to the public in the future.