Parc Monceau: An English Garden in Paris

Today is the day! The first day of the year where the sun’s strength has warmed enough to remove any residual chill in the air and to release a glorious, earthy scent from the garden. Spring has definitely arrived. And it’s the perfect day to take a stroll through a beautiful landscape. So I thought we would pay a visit to another of Paris’ stunning jardins. And you may be surprised to learn that this one, Parc Monceau, is an English garden.

A Royal Commission

I first approached Parc Monceau from one of the Art Nouveau metro entrances that I love so much. And from the moment I saw its gorgeous Pavilion de Chartres, I knew I was in for a treat. As was the case with le Jardin du Luxembourg, this park was commissioned by royalty. Phillippe d’Orléans, Duke of Chartres and cousin of King Louis XVI, was a lover of all things English. And so, in 1778, when he commissioned the multi-disciplined artist Louis de Carmontelle to design a garden, he stipulated that it be in the English style.

Pavilion de Chartres

And this circular rotunda makes that clear to all who enter through the Boulevard de Courcelles gates. For its neo-classical style was popular in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. And while it resembles a Doric temple, the main floor of the Pavilion de Chartres was originally used as a customs house. And the second floor housed an apartment from which the Duke could view his gorgeous garden. The elegant dome, with its delicate weather vane, was added to le pavilion by Gabriel Davioud in the 19th century.

Parisian Sweets

As I began my stroll down one of the gravel paths, it wasn’t long before I came upon a staple of many large Parisian parks – le carrousel. We tend to think of Paris as such a sophisticated city. Yet every time I see one of their carousels I am reminded of the child-like joie de vivre of the French people. I get this same reminder when happening upon one of their abundantly stocked candy stores. So I was doubly blessed to find both in Parc Monceau. And of course I needed un chocolat chaud with all the fixings to fortify me on my promenade.

Follies and Flowers

As I continued on, I quickly became intrigued by sightings of architectural ruins. From a miniature bridge resembling the Rialto to a small Egyptian pyramid, fascinating glimpses of history kept appearing. With a little research, I’ve discovered that Carmontelle wrote of his approach to designing this park: “The true art is to know how to keep the visitors there, through a variety of objects, otherwise, they will go to the real countryside to find what should be found in this garden; the image of liberty.” And he certainly succeeded. For each folly sighting drew me further into the garden.  This approach is also a big part of what makes Parc Monceau an English garden. For the English loved their follies.

A Roman Folly

I found the most impressive of these pieces of history to be the grand Corinthian colonnade that borders one end of la Naumachie, the oval basin. And I was fascinated to discover that it has another link to the Luxembourg Gardens. For it was part of a memorial that Marie de Medici, who commissioned those gardens, had constructed to commemorate her late husband Henry II. Named la Rotonde de Valois in honour of his family line, this monument, which stood next to Saint-Denis Basilica, was demolished in 1719 by the next French dynasty – the Bourbons. Fortunately for us, the Duke of Chartres recovered this piece of it and used it to add a touch of romance to his garden.

In The Shadow Of The Arc

Sadly, the Duke lost his life to Madame Guillotine during the Revolution, despite being a supporter of the cause. Parc Monceau was returned to his family during the Napoleonic era, during which they sold off half of the property. And as I approached the gate on Avenue Hoche, the result of this appeared before me. For real estate developers had used that land to build elegant mansions, making this one of the poshest neighbourhoods in Paris. And all within sight of l’Arc de Triomphe.

And this one was owned by the illustrious chocolate-making family the Meniers, who began by marketing chocolate-covered medicine tablets.

La Belle Époque

Signs of further development in the park appeared as I continued exploring. For I soon came upon a series of Art Nouveau monuments honouring several notable French writers of the 19th-century. The romantic imagery used to immortalize these literary greats reminded me of some of the statuary in Jardin du Luxembourg. And they reflect the work Baron Haussmann undertook to remake the park after it was purchased by the City in 1860. I particularly like the one with a woman in period dress lounging at the foot of the author’s bust, book in hand.

There is one more interesting fact that I discovered about this English garden, Parc Monceau. And it too is commemorated on the grounds. In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin performed the very first silk parachute jump there.Explore another gorgeous Parisian garden in my post Hôtel Dieu: A Secret Parisian Garden.

Parc Monceau  35 Boulevard de Courcelles, 75008 Paris, France

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