Houses-Laffitte

See also: Lafitte

Houses-Laffitte is a common department of the Yvelines, in the area Île-de-France, in France, located at approximately 10 km to the North-East of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer and at approximately 18 km in the North-West of Paris.

The name of “Houses” comes from the Latin , mansio , remains. “Laffitte” was added officially in 1882 after the urbanization of the park of the castle by the banker Jacques Laffitte. Its inhabitants is called Mansonniens.

Geography

Houses-Laffitte is located in edge of the Seine, on left bank of the Fleuve, and is next to in the west the Forêt of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer. The communal territory also includes part of a island of the Seine, the island of the Commune. The commune is bordering on the communes of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer in the west and north and of the Mesnil-the-King in the south. In the east, it is separated by the Seine from Sartrouville and Cormeilles-in-Parisis.

It is served by the secondary road D308 which connect Paris to Poissy and by a station on the railway line Paris-Saint-Lazare - Rouen on which also the circulate the RER has. The line of drunk n° 262 connects it to Defense. In addition, a drunk of night, passing at a frequency of approximately every 45 minutes, connects the city to the station of Paris Saint-Lazare.

History

Origins

" In December 2001, the archaeological excavations carried out in the district of the Entry of Houses, the site of the new Hotel Residence, made it possible to put at the day of the remains of Gallo-Roman potteries dating from IIe and IIIe centuries: this discovery attests for the first time of the Gallo-Roman origins of “Mansionis”. "

The first mention of the village goes back to approximately 820, in the polyptyque one of Irminon. This document, compiled at the instigation of the Irminon abbot, was intended to count the goods of the Parisian abbey of Saint-Germain-of-Meadows, been based into 543 by Childebert, wire of Clovis. But of uncertainties remain with knowing if the Mansionis Villa of polyptyque corresponds well to Houses-Laffitte. The inventory mentions cereal cultures and vines. Let us note that in spite of the presence of the river, it seems well that the village never knew linked activities with fishing.

The history of Houses-Laffitte is specified about the 11th century. It is as from this period that it is possible to draw up a genealogy of the lords of Houses. The first lord of the manor was certainly Nivard de Septeuil. His/her son Geoffroy Ier granted to the Abbaye of Saint-Wandrille the unrestricted passage in front of the wearing of Houses about 1060-1066. He also gave about 1087 the church of Houses to the abbey of Coulombs (near to Nogent-the-King), with grounds, vines, said and a share of toll.

The village of then was joined together around the church, with its current site, surrounded of the cemetery, the presbytery, the old priory (where the Center Ianchelevici is) and the castle located then towards the western floors of our gardens. From there, the houses rose around the main street, become current Rue of Mesnil.

The stronghold of Houses-Laffitte remains with the hands of the descendants of Nivard de Septeuil (families of Gaucourt then of Poissy), until it falls out of stopper rod, with the hands of two nieces of Jean II of Gaucourt. The family of Avesne preserved her grounds, which passed quickly to the family of Marseilles. The Excavator yielded to them many 1460 with Jean IV of Longueil, judges with the Parlement of Paris. The unit of the seigniory will be found in 1602, when Jean VIII of Longueil repurchases the share of Marseilles.

Modern times: castle, princes and village

Longueil

The reunificator of the seigniory, Jean VIII of Longueil, dies in 1629. He succeed his/her Rene son, who will be President at the Parliament of Paris and Surintendant of Finances in 1650-1651. The castle is built with its request by François Mansart, uncle of Jules Hardouin-Mansart which will build Versailles later a few years… This new building comes to take the place of the preceding constructions built by the two lines of lords of Houses. The castle will be large, to receive the King at the time of huntings in forest of Saint-Germain. For this reason the entry of the monument is back in the Seine, preceded by a broad avenue coming from the forest. Construction starts in the neighborhoods of 1642, to be completed about 1650.

The water supply is ensured by the mill placed on the small arm of the Seine, which one can still see the piles near the POBS. This hydraulic machine, equipped with two paddle wheels, was used for to grind the grain and to pump the water of the Seine and to send it to a tank located close to the church. Victim of a fire in 1859, the mill is destroyed in 1887.

The park of the castle, with the measurement of the building, is closed in 1659, from the authorization given by letters patent of Louis XIV to the marquis de Longueil. The marquis then proceeded to many exchanges of pieces with the inhabitants of Houses in order to increase his park and to make a homogeneous unit of it: the Longueil avenues and of Saint-Germain for example are drawn at this period.

The first alleys of the Park, the avenues White and Eglé, are contemporary castle. The other alleys will be created during the 18th century. A chart of 1740 shows it such as we know it. It is also at the XVIIIe century that the pieces between the castle and the Seine are arranged: filled ditches, plantations of lines of trees…

As regards the village, it is organized between the church and the public place known as “the Field”, around which are ordered the common buildings: Press, school, common house. This place carries the elementary school of the Priory today, street of Mesnil. Many street names return to this period of the agricultural history of the village: Green path, Behind the Fields, Wood-Bonnet, Wood-Priors for the localities closest to the center of the village. But we can also quote the streets of the Fox, the Plants, Large Murger (withdrawn stone accumulation of the fields), of Cordonnières (deformation of “cardonnières”, coming from thistle)…

The center of the village ramified around small feel tortuous, that we can imagine while walking us in the lane of the Castle, dead end of Huchette or passage of the Gambling den.

The Chalines priest undertakes in 1759 to count the population, it counts 822 hearts then. Among them, a majority of families live Vigne, which then occupies 40% of the cultivated grounds. Let us count also craftsmen: building, work of leather, wood, iron; two fishermen, a butcher, a baker, a miller… Without forgetting nine maidservants, the schoolmaster, a “surgeon” (doctor), an usher, a large footman of the King whose family lives Maisons, the captain and the caretaker of the castle, three guards of the forest, two Swiss guards, a soldier and the verger of the parish.

Among the descendants of Rene de Longueil, let us quote Jean-Rene (1700-1731) who receives erudite and writers with the castle, among which Voltaire. This one tells in its correspondence the fire which damages the building in 1724, whereas it left it after having been neat there of the small pox. The marquis Jean-Rene de Longueil is interested of close with sciences, and in addition to its hereditary load of the President of the Parliament, it will be also named President of the Academy of Science. He dies without descent.

The field passes to the hands of a cousin, the marchioness of Seiglière, born from Belleforière; then with its grandson the marquis Armand de Soyécourt. With money court, this one seeks to sell Maisons. While starting with the King, to like Madam de Pompadour in 1747, then with Madam of Barry in 1770. But Louis XV is not let engage in these operations and Soyécourt ends up selling Maisons in 1777 with the count d' Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X of France.

Counts and marshals

The prince entrusts to François-Joseph Bélanger, architect, the care to proceed to the improvements, restorations and installations which it wishes: contruction of an orangery, given in state of the stables and mill, reorganization of the kitchens… The count d' Artois also brings to Maisons his “English stable”, which enables him to develop its passion of the horse-races, origin of the establishment of the Equestrian sport at Houses-Laffitte.

But the building continues to threaten ruin in several places, and, the empty cases, work are stopped. The last passage of the count d' Artois in Maisons goes back to 1784. It even tries to resell it with the king his brother, who also must face him the shortage of liquidities in the royal treasure. The Revolution finally comes to put a term at these tergiversations. Artois flees in England, and the field is put under sequestration in 1792.

Put on sale in 1797, the unit is allotted to certain Lanchère, supplier with the armies. Interested by the profits which it can make of the buildings, Lanchère destroys certain houses, sells sculptures… for finally reselling the whole in 1804 with the Maréchal Lannes.

Little attracted by the records court of Napoleon i, the Marshal prefers to come to Maisons between two military campaigns. The castle profits then from new work of embellishment and a sheep-fold settles in the gardens.

After its death in 1809 with the Battle of Essling, his wife, the duchess of Montebello, receives sometimes the Emperor. It is besides the latter which orders in 1810 the construction of the bridge between Sartrouville and Maisons. In 1813, the duchess receives in the same way the Marie-Louise empress, of which it has been lady-in-waiting for three years. Five years later, it demolishes field of Houses for the sum of a million fifty thousand francs, with the profit of Jacques Laffitte.

Birth of the city and the park

Jacques Laffitte is born the October 24th 1767 with Bayonne. Wire of carpenter, it goes up to Paris to try its chance and enters in 1788 the world of the bank and knows a fast rise there. The April 24th 1814, it becomes, under difficult conditions, governor of the Banque de France. During the Hundred Days (1815), it advances considerable sums in the State and the Town of Paris to fulfill the requirements of the occupant.

Adversary of Charles X (the former owner of the castle, between 1777 and 1789, whereas he was Count d' Artois), Jacques Laffitte accommodates in Maisons of many members of the political opposition. It is thus logically that he exerts a decisive influence at the time of the Révolution of 1830.

Besides August 3rd of the same year, the House of Commons chooses it as President. After the accession with the throne of Louis-Philippe Ier, it is named President of the Council and Minister for Finance of the King. Overflowed by the political agitation, it leaves the place the March 13rd 1831, and leaves about ruined adventure. Following these events, it thus decides to parcel out the field of Houses to carry out a profitable real estate transaction. In 1833, the stables and other dependences are destroyed in order to provide construction materials for the purchasers of the batches of the Park. The February 16th 1834 is deposited in front of notary the Schedule of conditions of this Lotissement, whose copy is given to each purchaser in the Park. The idea of this schedule of conditions is to pose the principles of construction of this “city in the countryside”.

To ensure the service road of the properties, Jacques Laffitte is brought to open new ways in the Park. On the basis of the already existing backbones (Églé avenues, White…), it traces geometrical figures. It draws also a cross of the Legion of Honor around the Napoleon Place and Circle of Glory, from which leave the avenues which will bear the names of the battles of the Emperor.

In 1838, whereas a hundred houses are built right now, appears an album of engravings “Seen picturesque of Houses-Laffitte”, almost advertizing collection. It shows several examples of houses in the Park. The great majority are modest buildings corresponding to the social ideal of possibility of home-ownership for the middle-classes, that Laffitte and its associates wished in the first years of the operation.

The development of the Colony will be supported soon by the arrival of the Railroad, and the Park becomes more residential, and will avoid houses more cossues.

Jacques Laffitte dies the May 26th 1844, carried in Paris by a lung disease. The municipal council of Houses-Laffitte makes celebrate a funeral office in the church of the city. The field passes to the hands of his/her Albine daughter, who proceeds as of 1846 to an auction of the remaining batches and which will end up selling the field in 1850, including the 33 hectares including/understanding the Château.

The Laffitte family, after the allotment of the Park, will be at the origin of several other changes. The nephew of Jacques, Charles, is one of the promoters of the construction of the railroad Paris-Rouen between 1841 and 1843. He also takes part in the creation of the network of Water conveyance of the commune as from 1859. Parisian personality, Charles Laffitte, large amateur of equestrian sport, are one of the founding members of the Jockey-Club, in which the Company of Encouragement will be created. It had in the Park the property “Valley-Flowered” where is currently located the Malesherbes Room, though the property was then much vaster. It was city council man until its death in 1875.

Demography

Histogram
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Economy

Houses-Laffitte is called “city of the horse”, thanks to its important equestrian activity. It has the Hippodrome including more the straight broad outline of Europe (2200 m), as well as a park connected to the Forêt where riders are often crossed. The named circular track “Circle of Glory” is the go Pur-sang going to the drive.
  • Common residential:
The park of Houses-Laffitte covers 60% of the commune and approximately 40% of Mansonniens live there. It is a private field opened with the public. It is classified with the inventory of the sites to the ministry for the Culture.

Culture

Architectural heritage

Twin towns

Teaching

  • CFA Horticulture and trades of the horse

Personalities related to the commune

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Official site of the town of Houses-Laffitte
  • Houses-Laffitte: History, Culture, Inheritance
  • Photographs of the castle of Houses-Lafitte

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