Summer at home is a rare treat for me—a chance to revisit favourite gardens in my own backyard. Recently, I found myself heading south, down a winding hour-and-a-half drive, to one of my all-time favourites: the Water Gardens of Annevoie.
It had been a while since my last visit, and I was especially curious to see what had become of the ambitious restoration project that had just begun when I was last there. At the time, the new owners had only just taken possession, and the place was buzzing with promise—but also clearly in need of serious care.
Annevoie is, by all standards, a historic garden of national importance. First created in the 1750s by Charles-Alexis de Montpellier (1717-1807) —a visionary ironmaster with a passion for landscape design—it stayed in the hands of the same family for over 250 years.
When financial pressures forced the sale in the early 2000s, the future of this unique garden was uncertain. Then, in 2018, a Belgian couple stepped in, pledging to restore Annevoie to its former glory. Seven years later, I went back to see if they’d made good on that promise.
Spoiler alert: they have. And then some.
A Garden Unlike Any Other
You´ll find the Water Gardens of Annevoie tucked away in a narrow valley of the Belgian Ardennes, where hillsides tumble down toward the River Meuse.
Te gardens are not vast in scale like Versailles, nor strictly geometric like Le Nôtre’s best work, nor even fully “natural” like the English landscapes that swept Europe a century later.
Instead, Annevoie is a confident and delightful hybrid—a pleasure garden where water is the true star of the show.
A Garden Born from Iron, Imagination, and Gravity
Annevoie was the vision of Charles-Alexis de Montpellier (1717-1807), an 18th-century ironmaster turned landscape dreamer. Though not born into nobility, Montpellier had the means, the mind, and—importantly—the technical knowledge to control water. Inspired by his travels across France, Italy, and even England, he created a garden that doesn’t follow a rigid style but instead explores water in every imaginable form.
Picture an engineer with the soul of a romantic—Montpellier was both. He harnessed the springs and slopes of the Rouillon Valley to power fountains, cascades, jets, and rills without a single pump. Yes, you read that right: for more than 250 years, water has flowed through Annevoie’s features purely by gravity.
Rooms of Water, Moods of the Garden
Annevoie is a garden of moments, a sequence of outdoor “rooms” that pull you gently from one surprise to the next. Each corner offers a fresh delight—an unexpected spray, a mossy grotto, a playful trickle. You never quite know what’s around the bend (isn’t that the best kind of walk?).
Here are just a few highlights:
Neptune’s Cuff:
A whimsical fan of water bubbles up from the center of a pool, the perfect prelude to what lies ahead.
The Grand Spouter:
Without the help of machines, a seven-meter-high jet of water shoots into the sky, thanks to a clever canal and elevation trick.
The French Waterfall:
All elegance and symmetry, this double-tiered cascade is Montpellier’s homage to French formality—though softened by the sound of rushing water and the presence of statues.
Further into the garden, the mood changes:
The Water Buffet:
No stone, no marble—just grass, hedges, and water. From the château, it reads like a green, rippling tapestry.
Les Nappes d’Eau:
A gentle, meditative fall that feels like the garden’s way of whispering rather than shouting.
A Masterclass in Sustainable Design (Centuries Before It Was Trendy)
Montpellier’s system of canals—some of them carried across stone dikes nearly ten meters high—is a feat of hydraulic engineering. Water is captured from four natural springs and flows continuously year-round, never freezing, thanks to a steady temperature between 10 and 14°C. There are no pumps, just gravity and genius.
The elaborate water shapes of the various fountains are the result of water pressure channelled through metal spouts, fashioned of lead and zinc, in sophisticated shapes. You can see some of these in the new museum about the history of the gardens which opened this year.
From Family Legacy to Regional Treasure
For ten generations, the de Montpellier family cared for Annevoie, opening it to the public in the 1930s. But by 2000, maintenance costs were overwhelming. A failed attempt at a public-private partnership ended with the estate being sold, controversially, to private investors.
Thankfully, in 2018, a Belgian couple stepped in, pledging to restore both the château and the gardens. Seven years of extensive work have brought Annevoie back to life—and in many ways, made it more accessible and resilient than ever before.
Why Annevoie Matters
In a world where gardens are often pinned to a particular style or designer, Annevoie is delightfully unclassifiable. It's not about imposing order or mimicking nature. It's about pleasure, play, and sensory delight—a kind of gardening that listens to the land and lets water speak.
After seven years of loving, painstaking restoration, Annevoie has reclaimed its place as one of Belgium’s most treasured gardens. The bones of the original design remain, but the energy feels fresh, inviting, and alive. As I wandered its pathways—past playful fountains and whispering cascades—I felt not just the success of a restoration, but the continuation of a story that began more than 250 years ago.
If you’re ever near Namur, make the detour. Let yourself be surprised. Let the sound of water guide you. And leave a little time to sit quietly by one of the pools, just listening.
Annevoie doesn’t clamor for your attention—it earns it, gently, and rewards it generously.
Ready to plan your trip to Annevoie?
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