Emblematic of the so-called picturesque or Anglo-Chinese gardens, the park of Méréville was imagined at the end of the XVIIIth century. From 1784, the Marquis de Laborde, owner of the premises and sponsor involved, surrounded himself with the most fashionable artists to design his gardens. The architect François-Joseph Bélanger remodelled the landscape of the site, then the painter Hubert Robert succeeded him and perfected the initial project by creating «natural paintings» aimed at recreating an idealized nature. For 10 years, up to 400 workers worked on this colossal project. The general composition of the site and many founding elements (river, bridges and islands, caves and riprap, etc.) have survived over time, making the domain of Méréville one of the rare witnesses of this type of gardens that have survived to us.
Property of the Departmental Council of Essonne since 2000, the area of Méréville has been the subject of several campaigns of restoration work. Open to the public since 2018.