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L’étude archéologique d’un jardin anglo-chinois de la fin du XVIIIe siècle : le domaine départemental de Méréville by Cécile TRAVERS – Château de Bénouville
The Méréville estate – the property of the department of Essonne since 2000 – was designed and created between 1784 and 1794 by the architect François-Joseph Bélanger, then by the painter Hubert Robert, on behalf of Jean-Joseph de Laborde, a wealthy sponsor and garden lover. The Anglo-Chinese style park is characteristic of the late 18th century. Since water is among the common denominators throughout the garden’s composition and itinerary, the restoration of its hydraulic network and associated equipment was one of the priorities during the restoration campaign. In order to put forward pertinent proposals, reliance on existing vestiges and evidence on site was essential. This is where the garden architect entered the scene. Not only to identify the precise original locations of historic developments in order to enable their technical characterisation, but also to understand exactly how the garden’s designers managed to transform a damp, marshy and peaty zone into a fashionable 58-hectare park planted with tens of thousands of trees from across the globe.
Cécile Travers
After qualifying as a general archaeologist (EHESS graduate in medieval architecture), Cécile Travers gradually specialised in landscape heritage (via a Master’s Degree in ‘Historic gardens, heritage and landscape’ – ENSAV). Since 2006, she has been working as an independent archaeologist for public and private contracting authorities in charge of restoring historic parks and gardens. In 2001, she created the Archeoverde agency.