THE PROUVOST FOUNDATION

located in a park on 60 ha, the castle of Vert Bois offers to Métropolis of Lille a famous trump for the environment and ecology.

his history is rich and begin in 1666 : listen Ghislain Prouvost , President of the Foundation relate us the various stages of the history of the Vert Bois:

" It's André de Fourmestraux, ennobled in 1623 by the King of Spain, with title of Knight of Wazières, who built the Conciergerie in 1666.

In 1743, his grandson Jean-André built the Vert Bois like we can see today - perhaps on the site of an fortified farm, because the moats already appear on very old land's registry.

The date 1751 is inscribe inside the chapel and 1772 on her fronton, as also The Pavilion of Flore. The chinese Pavilions , which date from the same period, were used - until 1937 - one of them as ice-box and the other as toilet.

It's near 1870 that my forefather, Louis Duchochois, widower of Elise Pinta, our spanish ancestor, acquired the Vert Bois. Her daughter, Marguerite Devémy, her grand-daughter, Marthe Prouvost lived in Vert Bois until end of year 1930.

My grandfather, Albert Eugène Prouvost undertake in 1939 to do great strengthening , restoration's works, works to set modern conveniance, until this date non-existent in that "folie".

My Parents have played à great part in the full-bloom of the Vert Bois,and we are indebted to them for the majority of Persan dishes of the gallery of basement-flat, as also the recollection of ours Bonaparte's ancestors.

Our Association "Jardins à Septentrion" have members of three LIONS-CLUB :

- Lille-Opéra's Club

- Tourcoing-Centre's Club

- Wasquehal's Club

and also voluntary members, horticulture lovers .

FOR CONTACT US:

7, rue J.Baptiste Clément

59290 WASQUEHAL -FRANCE- 0033 3 20 72 10 41

President: Jean-Claude BALLANDRAS

Secretary: Brigitte PARMENTIER

Treasurer: Gaston DUFOUR

Our Objective:

- Organize good quality exhibitions in horticulture, equipment and decoration of gardens.

- Give opportunity to ours visitors to meet differents origin countries's specialists.

- Give our visitors possibility to ask for good advices, by allowing, associations, horticultural schools, to enter on to our exhibition.

- Create pleasant surroundings.

- Have an interest in Metropolis's liveliness.

- Give profits of this exhibition for charitable works of ours Clubs:

during 2012 like during 2011, we will help one association Les Clowns de l'espoir whose objective is to improve the quality of childrens stays in hospitals by making Clown's shows.