Did you know that this very spot the Hameau de Bois Préau was once a simple fiefdom? It belonged to the wealthy Abbey of St Denis. Then in 1696 two printers and booksellers to the King Frédéric Léonard and his son Frédéric-Pierre Léonard bought the land. They built a grand residence here between 1697 and 1700. Imagine the Hameau de Bois Préau surrounded by beautiful gardens and water features.
This Hameau de Bois Préau is more than just a pretty face. Its history is rich and full of twists and turns. After the Léonards the estate passed to Jean Garnier a former kitchen hand who became a steward to Queen Marie Leszczynska. Garnier added a bathhouse and more statues. The count of Prie owned it for nine years then sold it to the banker Louis Julien. He died here in 1796.
His daughter Anne-Marie Julien fiercely refused to sell the Hameau de Bois Préau to Bonaparte. Despite his attractive offers she wouldn’t budge. Only after her accidental drowning in 1808 did Josephine Bonaparte finally acquire this exquisite Hameau de Bois Préau. Napoleon even wrote to her from Schönbrunn about it. He said the house was only worth 120000 francs but it was her decision to buy it. Three weeks after their divorce he sent her 200000 francs to buy it.
Josephine connected the Hameau de Bois Préau to her own estate Malmaison. She housed staff stored books from her library and even part of her natural history collection here in the Hameau de Bois Préau. The Empress’s death in 1814 halted work on the gardens that Louis-Martin Berthault had begun to redesign. Her son Prince Eugène continued maintaining the Hameau de Bois Préau. But after his death in 1824 his widow sold it to Parisian traders.
Edouard Rodrigues-Henriques a benefactor of Rueil bought the Hameau de Bois Préau in 1853. He made it a gathering place for artists and musicians. Composers Fromental Halévy and Georges Bizet were frequent visitors. He corresponded with George Sand. His wife Sophie founded a crèche. He also rebuilt much of the main house in 1854 perhaps with the help of the architect Alfred-Louis Feydeau.
After Rodrigues-Henriques’ death in 1878 his children sold it. It changed hands many times until 1920. Then Edward Tuck and his wife Julia Stell great benefactors of Rueil bought it. They donated the Hameau de Bois Préau and its 17 hectare park to the French national museum association in 1926. It became an annex to the Malmaison museum. Today you stand before a piece of Parisian history a testament to changing owners and a wonderful legacy. This is the Hameau de Bois Préau a story whispered through the centuries.