Château de l'Arrouaise

En un regard

Le château en bref

The château-ferme (farm-castle) of l'Arrouaise, also known as Grande Arrouaise, stands within the commune of Oisy, in the Aisne department. The agricultural and forest estate of Guise, to which it belongs, was the property of Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, before being acquired by Baron Seillière's company after the prince's exile in 1852. The new owners cleared 500 hectares of forest in 1857 and had five modern farms built, including the manor of l'Arrouaise, constructed in Thiérache in the 1850s. The Duke of Aumale regained possession of the estate in 1872; it was then held by the Duke of Chartres from 1896, and by Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Guise, until 1940, before being divided among several heirs. It was acquired by a private individual in 2022. The manor, built of brick and slate, has some forty windows and is flanked by two ornamental turrets with octagonal roofs. It retains extensive cellars, an English-style park and a kitchen garden, while the interior features abundant wood panelling and fireplaces, a large so-called "hunting" dining room and several salons. Farming continues on the estate today, with two farms devoted respectively to sheep rearing and cereal growing.