Les Jardins du château d’Arcelot : œuvre de Nature par Jean-Marie Morel et parc à fabriques par Emmanuel PARISOT – Archives du Calvados
The gardens of the Château d’Arcelot: natural art and folly park
The gardens of the Château d’Arcelot are located in France’s Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. In the same family since the 18th century, the castle and its 45-hectare grounds are now listed historic buildings. The estate boasts a collection of archives enabling the site’s history to be traced back from the 18th century to the present day. The sumptuous classic gardens were transformed into a picturesque park in the 1780s, thanks to intervention by the famous landscape architect Jean-Marie Morel (1728-1810), particularly known as having served as architect for the Prince of Conti, then for Joséphine de Beauharnais. In Arcelot, Jean-Marie Morel designed a vast project highlighting nature, in the form of a picturesque park that was completed by its owner with a rich collection of ornamental follies. Today, widely open to the public, the park continues to inspire awe, thanks to the preserved nature it encompasses, together with its adornments, the beauty of which has remained intact for almost two centuries.
Jean-Marie Morel
Holder of a Master’s Degree in historic gardens, heritage and landscape, Emmanuel Parisot has managed a landscaping agency specialising in the restoration of historic parks and gardens for over ten years. His Parcelle d’Histoire agency intervenes essentially on heritage sites in eastern France. In abidance with the Florence Charter and thanks to his acquired experience, Emmanuel Parisot advises site owners or managers through a diagnostic approach (historic, botanic and landscaping study), then a project design that aims to perpetuate and valorise landscaping heritage that has become fragile. Via regular conferences and publications, he also disseminates his work which includes garden art and history. He is currently working on historic gardens, such as those designed in Ray-sur-Saône (Haute-Saône) by Denis and Eugène Bühler, and a park by Louis-Sulpice Vare in Burgundy.