In the Middle ages, the land of today Château du Buisson de May belonged probably to the family de May. The oldest written document dates back to XVth century, when Jean de Brucourt, responsible for the famous Chatelet of Paris, sold the estate of Osmoy Michel de Bordeaux. The family de Bordeaux kept the Buisson de May over the centuries, selling wood, letting out land, farm and houses, as they were aldermen in Vernon. Jean de Bordeaux Bargeville decided to build a new castle in 1781. He asked Jacques-Denis Antoine, a famous royal architect, member of the Academy since 1776, to draw up the plans. Several pages of them can be found in the French National Library. The new castle was located north of the old manor.
In 1892, a banker, Henri Berson, bought the property. He asked architect Charles Couvreux to restore the castle in 1895. In the 20th century the state-owned Caisse d'Allocations Familiales de la Région Parisienne acquired the castle and organised there summer camps for children after several changes in architecture. The English Navy arrived in June 1939, opening a military hospital, where hundreds of wounded, both civilians and soldiers, were care for, under red cross tents. They dug a 100 meter deep well. The Germans arrived in June 1940, and ordered the French engeneers to stay in the park, under tents, in order to repair the telephone around the area of Evreux.
After the war, summer camps reopened, and more than 150 boys and girls had their vacations there. Little by little, the castle fell into ruins: it was empty during cold winters, snow ice and water destroyed the floors and the ceilings. The Caisse d'Allocations Familiales, finally, sold the property in 1976. Restoration started, in the castle, but soon had to be stopped. For the next ten years, the castle was offered to plunderers. Luckily in 1994, it was classified as a Monument Historique, inside, outside, and dry moats. Current owners have done restoration since 1999.
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