A Visit to Nemours Estate

HenFeathers Team Visit to Nemours... Wait, Are We in France?

The HenFeathers team visited the Nemours Estate, in du Pont Country in Wilmington, Delaware. Built by Alfred I. du Pont in 1909–10 as a gift for his second wife, Alicia, the estate was named after his family’s ancestral town in France and shaped by the esteemed New York firm Carrère & Hastings in the Louis XVI style.

Much of the original land of the Nemours Estate has been dedicated to the location of the well known Nemours Children's hospital, and the home and gardens is used as a museum, park, and event venue.

Gardens at Nemours

At the heart of the estate lies a commanding axial design echoing Versailles’s Petit Trianon—a central “Long Walk” stretching from the mansion’s facade, bordered by serene woodlands. This grand promenade aligns visitors with a series of meticulously composed garden spaces, each harboring its own charm and symbolism.

Close to the chateau, the Boxwood Garden unfolds in precise parterre geometry—with low, crisply clipped hedges forming floral scroll patterns, anchored by a central faun fountain. Clean lines of pea gravel paths guide guests through seasonal flower blocks and bulbs, punctuating the pattern with bursts of color. Adjacent sits the Four Borders garden: softer in planting style but still contained within clipped hedges, crowned by tuteurs and shaded by a venerable linden allee that ushers visitors gently into the surrounding woodland.

Further along the axis lies the monumental Reflecting Pool, shimmering at the foot of the grand Colonnade memorial to du Pont ancestors. Bordering the pool are stately fountains, sculptures, planters, and urns, contributing to a layered landscape beautifully framed by architectural elements.

Adjacent to this water mirror is the Maze Garden, a thoughtfully designed labyrinth of Western arborvitae and Japanese barberry hedges, centering on Henri Crenier’s gilded “Achievement” statue, atop a base adorned with Triton and Neptune’s visages. This space introduces an element of playful discovery within the overall formal order. Descend below via a grand staircase and you land in the Sunken Garden—crafted by du Pont’s son Alfred V. and Gabriel Masséna in the early 1930s. With grottoes, cascading fountains, a small lake, and a sculpture by Charles Marie Sarrabezolles, it invokes Italianate romance nested within French formality.Topping the axis is the diminutive Temple of Love, sheltering Jean Antoine Houdon’s life sized statue of Diana, crowned by classical elegance that completes the narrative from mansion to woodland.

Nemours Entry Fountain by the Water Tower.

Nemours Mansion.

Vista Overlook.

Fountain Urn Allee.

Side Fountain.

Mansion Side View.

Parterre Garden Trellis.

Parterre Garden Birdbath.

Parterre Garden Birdbath Up Close.

Parterre Garden Fountain (Back).

Parterre Garden Patio Corner.

Parterre Garden Patio.

Urn Framed Southern Gardens Allee.

Russian Gates.

Southern Gardens Allee.

Aviary in the Southern Garden.

Southern Garden Stairs Urns.

Sculpture Fountain.

Frog Pond.

Vista from Mansion.

Reflecting Pool.

Four Elements Sculpture.

Four Elements Sculpture (Up Close).

Four Elements Sculpture Fountain.

Colonnade Allee Memorial from Hedge.

Maze Garden Statue of Achievement.

Statue of Achievement (Back).

Statue of Achievement Urns.

Sunken Garden Main Fountain Nemours.

Sunken Garden Urns.

Sunken Garden.

Sunken Garden Stairway.

Sunken Garden Side Fountain.

Sunken Garden Main Fountain Side View.

Pathway Urns.

Pond Bridge.

Diana Sculpture Temple of Love.

English Gates.

Nemours Estate Landscape, Gardens, & Architecture

Architecturally, the mansion complements its gardens with Neoclassical clarity. The facade, punctuated by tall windows and balanced proportions, connects indoor and outdoor realms, including a conservatory that bridges to the landscape beyond. Today, Nemours Estate endures as the finest French-style formal garden in North America, offering immersive engagement with landscape, architecture, and horticultural design. Whether strolling along the Long Walk, pausing by the pool, exploring the maze, or relaxing in sunken serenity, visitors experience an orchestrated symphony of geometry, water, sculpture, and structure—and glimpse the refined ambitions of America’s Gilded Age.

Conservatory Window.

Conservatory Birdcage.

Conservatory Window to Parterre Garden Fountain.

Conservatory (Side Window).

Goodbye at Nemours from the HenFeathers Team.