The « Pre Catalan » of Jules Amiot
Marcel Proust's garden in llliers Combray
The Horticultural Society of the Eure-et-Loir Departement awarded in 1906 a « Diploma of Honour Recall» to Jules Amiot (1816-1912) for « his beautiful park of Pre Catelan ». Acquired in about 1850, on the outskirts of the town llliers, between the Loir river and the ”most beautiful sight of plain”, it is an uneven land of about 7000 m2, where Marcel Proust's ”horticulturist and cook uncle” realized a triple design according to the custom of the time : English garden with ”Serpentine” river, lawns, sandy paths, groves, arbours, flowerbeds ; neo-gothical garden with rock grotto topped by a ”Archers' house” (according to the legend, these archers killed the troubadour Catelan) ; oriental scenery inspired by Algeria, recently conquered, where Jules Amiot had a wine business : small buildings similar to koubbas, kind of noria (the ”merry go round”) and exotic plants scattering the park.
