We know French formal gardens with their perfectly clipped parterres and English landscape parks with their romantic groves. The parc Boussard, though, doesn’t resemble either. This art deco garden of 5,000 m², tucked in the heart of Lardy in the Essonne, is one of the few remaining testimonies of this style across the Île-de-France. It has been listed in the Monuments historiques inventory since 1997 and designated a Jardin remarquable by the Ministry of Culture in 2024.
Curious to see it, we set off to explore this site and came away seduced by the place. Not by its enormity; don’t expect Versailles-level grandeur, since it remains a garden of modest size, but by the quiet elegance that radiates from it. From the entrance, the eye is guided along a sequence of terraces, basins and canals built with industrial bricks, concrete slabs and blue-tiled mosaics. All of it feels more like an Andalusian patio or a Mediterranean garden than a suburban stroll in Paris. This sense of escape isn’t something you’d expect just an hour from Paris, in the heart of Essonne.
The park owes its distinctive character to Joseph Marrast (1881-1971), a celebrated Parisian architect who would later become president of the Academy of Architecture in 1953. His name is less familiar to the general public than his projects: notably a series of rotunda-fronted buildings on the Left Bank opposite Pont-Neuf, the BNCI headquarters on the Grands Boulevards, and the Casablanca courthouse, designed for Marshal Lyautey during Morocco's urbanization. He also designed gardens on the Côte d'Azur, in Italy, and as far as Florida.
It was during the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs de 1925 in Paris, where he helped oversee the garden installations, that Henri Boussard, a wine merchant, first saw his work. Impressed, he commissioned in 1927 a garden for his estate in Lardy. Marrast then conceived a space steeped in the spirit of Art Deco: beauty created from simple, economical materials accessible to all. No rare timbers, no flashy flourishes. Boxwood spheres, roses, trees from our forests, and a meticulously composed water architecture: still water in the basins, circulating water in the channels, water jets at the central fountain.
In 1989, Jacques Boussard, Henri’s son, bequeathed the park to the town of Lardy shortly before his death. Restored and opened to the public in 1996, the garden underwent a full renovation in 2022 costing 450,000 euros, largely funded by the Fondation du patrimoine as part of Stéphane Bern’s Loto du patrimoine (chosen among the 101 monuments in the third edition in 2020). Support also came from the Île-de-France region, the Essonne departmental council, and the DRAC Île-de-France. The bricks, the ceramic tiling of the basins, the paving slabs of the paths—everything was refreshed. The result is meticulous, without feeling museum-like.
To go further, guided tours are offered from April to October 2026 by a licensed tour guide and lecturer who specializes in the history of gardens and architecture. Two dates are especially well chosen to make the most of them: the first Sunday in June as part of Jardins Secrets en Essonne, and mid-September for the Journées européennes du Patrimoine.
The park is freely accessible every day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in high season and until 6 p.m. from November 1 to March 31. Entry is free. Note that the main entrance features a narrow staircase and is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. A side entrance can be opened upon reservation through the town hall of Lardy at 01 69 27 14 00. It’s open for exploration on foot, starting from the Lardy RER station, barely 500 meters away. It’s the moment to dust off your Navigo card for a weekend discovery!
This garden is for those who love wandering off the beaten path, away from the weekend crowds at the big Île-de-France parks. You visit it solo, as a couple, or with family, at your own pace. A lovely detour in Essonne, perfect to pair with a stroll through central Lardy or a cycling outing along the nearby Juine.
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Dates and Opening Time
Next days
Sunday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Monday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Tuesday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Thursday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Friday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Saturday:
from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Location
Boussard Park
43 Rue de Verdun
91510 Lardy
Route planner
Prices
Free
Recommended age
For all
Official website
www.ville-lardy.fr
