A historic B&B within the Somme | EUROtoday

The Somme area in northern France has a protracted, wealthy historical past. Poignant memorial websites, historic capital Amiens with its nice Gothic cathedral, wonderful countryside, and La Baie de la Somme, one of many ‘Most Beautiful Bays of the World, are just some good causes to go to. Add in a keep on the attractive Le Macassar Chambre d’Hôtes, a historic B&B within the Somme and it’ll add a complete new stage of wow to your go to.

Le Macassar – a historic B&B within the Somme

Just two hours north of Paris, Le Macassar fronts onto the principle sq. of the charming riverside city of Corbie. This bustling market city, with a number of eating places and bars, boasts over 1,500 years of historical past and the enduring Abbey St. Pierre nonetheless dominates the city.

And Le Macassar could possibly be thought-about a historic website in its personal proper. Named after the ebony wooden that was standard within the Art Deco period, the Art Nouveau-Art Deco mansion is owned by Deborah and Gordon Murphy. Originally from Canada, the couple lived in Europe for a few years earlier than discovering the property. Their love of French historical past and structure has allowed them to create a heat house inside a historic setting.

“This house has had a charmed life,” says Deborah. “Most of the town of Corbie was badly damaged during World War One, but by some miracle, this property was spared. We are only the fifth owners in the last 150 years, and successive custodians have taken care to preserve and maintain the property. It has a truly special atmosphere, and every room has a story behind it.”

Step into historical past at Le Macassar

What makes Le Macassar so distinctive and completely fantastic are the preserved and artistically designed rooms which characteristic a spread of architectural kinds, and that friends are welcome to get pleasure from. Step into the Ohannessian Room, a shocking parlor which incorporates a sixteen-panel ceramic set up by the famend Armenian ceramicist, David Ohannessian. It’s the kind of distinctive immersive expertise that you just would not discover in an peculiar lodge. It’s actually fairly astounding to seek out the work of the artist whose most notable work is present in world-class museums together with the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, however In 1925, Ohannessian attended the Art Deco exhibition in Paris the place he met the house owners of the Le Macassar, they usually commissioned the gorgeous panels that had been crafted in his Jerusalem workshop.

Then there’s the marvelous Louis Majorelle drawing room through which the cabinetry, hearth and lighting have been attributed to the well-known Art Nouveau designer (sadly the data for these creations had been destroyed in fires).

On the highest ground is the billiard room with its excessive, vaulted ceiling and strong timber flooring scattered with oriental carpets. This area is dominated by an Art Deco hearth and a full-size Nineteen Forties billiard desk that can tempt you to play, or you may calm down in one of many inviting settees and choose one thing from the built-in cabinets crammed with books and board video games.

Each bed room is generously proportioned and wealthy in character, adorned with interval furnishings and authentic artworks that remember the constructing’s heritage. The Art Deco Suite is light-filled and chic, with sycamore and maple paneling, velvet-clad partitions and a definite sense of Nineteen Twenties French glamour. In distinction, the Macassar Suite incorporates a dramatic vaulted ceiling with uncovered A-frame timbers, whereas its spacious rest room is discreetly hid behind ornate Moorish doorways. The Empire Suite looks like a non-public interval house, full with bespoke monochrome toile de Jouy wallpapers and materials, authentic artworks, a carved stone hearth, and a hanging marble-and-mosaic rest room.

The wine cave dates again to 881, constructed within the aftermath of Viking raids as a part of a community of tunnels and escape rooms designed to shelter inhabitants from future assaults. Today, Deborah and Gordon can prepare champagne, wine and whiskey tastings right here — an unforgettable option to admire the traditional vaulted ceiling and hint the thumbprints nonetheless seen within the bricks, left by their makers greater than a thousand years in the past. One remaining gem awaits above floor: a wonderful personal backyard, the proper place to unwind on a heat summer time night.

And sure, Le Macassar is a giant attract its personal proper – however there’s a lot to see within the space, it is price venturing out.

Memorial websites

If you are coming to northern France to go to WWI memorial websites, Le Macassar is a perfect base: the important thing websites are in straightforward attain and after a day of emotional experiences, you may return to a soothing retreat and really feel cocooned.

The Villers Bretonneux Memorial and Military Cemetery in France. The memorial was constructed after the Armistice and holds the graves of 1089 British troopers’, 779 Australians, 267 Canadians, 4 Afrikaners and a pair of New Zealanders. At the far finish of the cemetery stands the Australian Memorial, the place the names of 11,000 males are engraved and people ‘identified solely to God’.

Just half-hour away is Thiepval, house to the world’s largest Commonwealth memorial and the focus for many who died on the Somme however don’t have any identified grave. Here, you may also go to the Thiepval Museum, which presents the historical past of World War One from all sides, together with the recollections of these concerned.

Nature and Cycling

The Somme river valley is a superb choice for many who benefit from the outside; select from a spread of climbing choices, every with well-marked trails and totally different ranges of issue. There are additionally marked routes that take you alongside the river or by way of the tranquil again roads to go to close by villages.

Fabulous French visits close by

This is a superb space to discover, and there are many day journeys to get pleasure from purely for pleasure. The lovely city of Amiens, with its immense Gothic cathedral, the biggest in France, is 25 minutes west of Le Macassar. Amiens has even been nicknamed ‘the Venice of the north’ due to its medieval floating gardens, Les Hortillonnages with 65km of waterways dotted with islands that had been as soon as used to develop vegetation and crops.

The Underground City of Nours, a 30-minute drive north of Corbie is a novel expertise. Built within the Middle Ages, the caves sheltered locals and their animals from marauding armies proper up till the seventeenth century. At its peak, there have been 300 rooms and 30 massive chambers constructed within the former chalk mine. During WWI it was a preferred go to for Commonwealth troopers who carved their names into the chalk. Many had been later recognized and within the museum a few of their tales are informed.

Head an hour northwest of Corbie and you may arrive on the coast the place you may uncover the Baie de Somme Picardy, formally one of many ‘Most Beautiful Bays of the World’, dotted with picturesque fishing villages joined by a steam practice railway circuit which crossed the maritime regional nature park with magnificent pure landscapes It can also be house to the Parc du Marquenterre, an ornithological sanctuary that extends over 200 hectares of marshes, dunes and reed beds. Enjoy contemporary seafood at one of many many eating places in these villages.

And in the event you want to not drive, there is a practice station in Corbie and you may journey simply to Amiens (round quarter-hour, and from the place you may journey to Paris in beneath and hour making Paris a simple day journey), Arras and Lille with its many museums, artwork galleries, historic structure and incredible eating places.

Whether you are planning a visit to go to memorial websites or just need to discover a picturesque a part of France, it is a fabulous area for a break. And in the event you keep at Le Macassar, you may really feel that you’ve your individual little piece of French paradise ready for you on the finish of every day.

Find out extra and ebook your keep at Le Macassar: lemacassar.com