Gerberoy

Gerberoy was a fortified border town fought over repeatedly between France and Normandy, burned and reduced until almost nothing was left, and by 1900 it was a near-empty village of a few dozen houses. The painter Henri Le Sidaner settled there in 1901, restored a house, made a terraced garden on the old castle site and persuaded his neighbours to plant climbing roses against their timber-framed walls; the village slowly filled with them. It now has around ninety residents and is listed among the most beautiful villages in France, with a rose festival in June when the flowering is at its height.

History

Gerberoy was a fortified town, and in the winter of 1078-79 it saw a siege and battle between William the Conqueror and his son Robert Curthose. The old village of half-timbered houses, with traces of its medieval castle, is now listed among the most beautiful villages of France (Wikipedia, Gerberoy).

The main sights

• The climbing roses - flowers trained up timber-framed and brick facades.
• Le Sidaner's garden - the terraced garden on the old castle mound.
• The cobbled lanes - a small grid of streets with no through traffic.
• The June festival - the rose weekend when the village is at its fullest.

When to go

June, when the roses flower; the village is pretty at other times but the roses are the reason to come. The festival weekend brings crowds far beyond the village's capacity.

Good to know

The village is tiny and walked in half an hour. Outside June the roses are not in flower. Parking on festival weekends is difficult and access requires a car.

Nearby

Beauvais lies southeast; Amiens is north.

Key facts