En un regard
Le château en bref
The Manoir du Désert stands in Honfleur, in the Calvados department of Normandy, on land that was once cleared and from which it takes its name. Built at the end of the 15th century for the Le Danois family, who had made their fortune in maritime trade, it is a characteristic example of the manors of the Pays d'Auge. Its ground floor combines flint and stone laid in a chequerboard pattern, while the upper floor is half-timbered. Each level has two large rooms heated by fireplaces, and a corner turret (échauguette) offers a view over the Seine estuary. Inside, graffiti depicting ships survive, scratched between the 16th and 19th centuries, precious evidence of Honfleur's port life. Acquired in 1927 by Mlle Turgis, listed as a historic monument as early as 1928, it was bequeathed to the town in 1973. Restored in the 1970s, consolidated in 2018 and restored again in 2020, it is attached to the Musée du Vieux Honfleur.