Arras France Tourism Guide

Built on a hill in the XVIII century, the castle of Barly is located in the Pas-de-Calais department, 20 km west of Arras, between the road “route nationale 25” (Arras-Doullens) and the town of Avesnes-le-Comte.

The whole castle was built with white stones of Artois in the Louis XVI style. During the First World War, the castle was requisitioned and used as a war hospital.

It is the Blin de Barly family who started its construction around 1780, on the eve of the French Revolution (1789-1799), in a neo-classical style. The castle replaced a former mansion. The construction of the main body was completed in 1784 and the interior installations, (as well as the construction of the farmyard, the chapel and the pigeon farm) were completed around 1794.

In 1837, the property was sold to the countess of Tramecourt who rearranged the park in the English style, which was extremely fashionable at that time. In 1870, she asked that her lands be listed in an atlas. We learn from it that the castle’s park was 12 hectares while the property, with its ploughable land and grazing grounds, was more than 56 hectares.

The new owner of the castle, Mr Duhem, had to wait for the end of the war to dedicate himself to the castle and park’s restoration (already undertaken by the French army). It is him who created the pond in the main courtyard and the water mirror which reflects the east façade.

Having escaped from the two World Wars, the castle of Barly is one of the rare monuments of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region that has been preserved in an absolute state of authenticity. It has been classified as a Historical Monument since 1971.

From 1937 to 1970, the property belonged to Mr Robert Bouttemy, a farmer of the village, who did not bring any noticeable modification to the castle. It is the count Jacques d’Antin de Vaillac who took over the castle. The Bouttemy family decided to keep the lands and the new owner contented himself with a surface area of 2 hectares only. This is the area of today’s park.

In June 2001, Didier Cramoisan and Bernard Dragesco purchased the property. Together, they decided to give a new look to the park (the count d’Antin de Vaillac had planted trees and hedges in accordance with his taste but their location was not considered suitable).

• The castle is open to the public from July 1st to August 16th, everyday from 1 pm to 7.00 pm, except on Mondays, and for groups of more than 15 people (on reservation). The visit is guided and takes about one hour. The visit includes the main courtyard, the farmyard and the independent chapel. Inside the castle, the visitors will be able to see the entrance hall, the sitting room, the dining room and the main staircase. The three main rooms are adorned with superb woodwork designed by the sculptor César Lepage of Arras between 1785 and 1793. The commentary includes the story of the castle and the explanation of the decorations. Before leaving, the visitors will be able to visit the 2 hectares park.

• Following are the fares :

Adults: 7 Euros.
Students and youth from 10 to 18 years: 3,50 Euros.
The visit is free for children who are less than 10 years old.
Groups: 6 Euros per person

• Address :

Château de Barly
6, rue de l’Egalité
62 810 Barly
Ph : +33 (0)3.21.48.41.20
Cellphone : + 33 6 75 66 23 03
Email : chateaudebarly@orange.fr
Facebook page : www.facebook.com/chateaudebarly