History

The “Manoir de l’Isle”, built in 1856 on this islet of the Risle, belonged to the Arthur Petit family, owner of the “Petits establishments”, the adjacent cotton factory.
A lock allowed the boats and in particular his yacht “the Tany” to access the shores of the “castle” – a turbine powered by the waterfalls will later supply the factory and the house with electricity. His daughter Mathilde married their owner. cotton, Arthur Lemire. Their daughter Claire married Edouard André (1840-1911) internationally renowned landscaper known for a number of rare plant species that he brought back from his travels (such as the anthurium) and famous works such as the parks of MonteCarlo, Euxinograd or Montevideo…
It was he who designed the grounds of the property, each tree of which was planted according to a final, temporal view, leaving no room to chance.
During the Second World War the place was requisitioned for its quarters by the German army. In 1945 it was taken over by the André family, then made up of 18 members. Trained in Manchester, the textile capital at the time, Georges, son of René, took over the factory which an American shareholder sold to him as well as the mansion a few years later for reasons linked to the poor international economic situation.
It was in 1987 that the property was renovated and converted into a 4-star boutique hotel, Belle Isle sur Risle. The park was enriched with many varieties, additions enlarged the main building and an annex, the orangery was built in 2009.