In the castle of Esquelbecq, one dreams by diving into a mysterious engraving teeming with details that have passed through the centuries. Sanderus, (1586-1664) passionate Flemish scholar of his country left us a treasure, a cavalier view of the estate and the small village of Westhoek, Ekelsbeke at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Thanks to this view from the collection Flandria Illustrata (1644), come and meet a lasting heritage where we still love gardens and secrets today. In a populated and dynamic countryside of the North, the estate of Esquelbecq Castle is a hidden gem, closed for more than 30 years following a collapse. The adventure to revive this hidden gem was launched 5 years ago with a campaign of restoration of the garden with compartments, the castle and its outbuildings up to the moat. It was through the garden that the estate was able to open its gates again in 2017: an orchard of hundreds of fruit trees led in espalier, a kilometre of boxwood, fire pots, walls covered with ornaments whose meaning was lost, irons and bones of sheep in the masonry, etc. Soon with the help of the master «Historic Gardens» of the Ecole Nationale d'Architecture de Versailles, the walks through the landscaped park will take shape and awaken one of the sources of the Yser, a small cross-border river.
A charming and rich exhibition will be hung in the ground floor of the Castle, inspired by the art of living of this unique representation of the estate before the French Revolution. To approach this lifestyle to reinvent exclusive photos, videos, maps and original drawings will be staged in order to share the future management plan of the domain. Waiting for the boat rides around the country island in 2023, Closing of the exhibition «Water and dreams» in partnership with Lille 3000 for the 2022 Heritage Days.
Notes: The master Jardins historiques de l'école de versailles 1995 +2021 under the direction of Aline Lecoeur, Stephanie de Courtois, Denis Miraillé