Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon

Boissy is situated about 20 miles South of Paris (measured from the front of Notre Dame) in the direction of Etampes and Orleans on the N20 near Arpajon. The commune of Boissy: is in the arrondisment (District) of Saint Chéron, is in the department (County) of Essonne (91), is in the region of Il de France.

Until January 2016 Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon and St Yon together with the commune of Lardy were the southernmost communes of a grouping of 14 communes with headquarters in Arpajon, see map. Then they transferred to another grouping of communes called "Entre Juine et Renarde" (between the rivers Juine and Renarde) where they are now the northernmost communes in the grouping. This means that they have left a Paris suberb based grouping and joined a rural grouping. As a result they are required to build less new homes and even some taxes are lower.

The village is believed to date from at least the 13th century when it was named "Buxiam" or "Bussiacum". The modern name is thought to derive from the French words "bois" (wood) or "Buxis-buis" (Boxwood). Indeed the area is still very wooded even today. The full name of the village is Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon. The "sous-Saint-Yon" part of the name derives from its proximity to St Yon, a small community about 1 km North West of Boissy which, in ancient times, was the location of the local fortress. It also distiguishes Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon from Boissy-Saint-Leger and Boissy-Le-Chatel both of which are also in the Il de France.

The villagers call themselves "Buxéens" (men) or "Buxéenes" (women).

The urban area is approximately 1 sq. km., see map, but the actual commune covers an area of 8 sq. km. The old centre of the village has narrow streets and stone buildings. This is surrounded by more modern housing.

The population has grown from 1,017 in 1968 to 3,736 in 2013 primarily as a result of the construction of a housing development called GMF after the name of the builder. The housing development is in an area called La Fontaine Saint Lubin. At the centre of the housing development, in the Rue Pasteur, there is a parade of shops (The St Luben Commercial Centre) which includes a pharmacy, a hair dresser and a driving school. This is where we normally meet our coach on Monday mornng to return to Colney Heath.

The population is only increasing slowly today. More than one in six of the population is now over 60.

Boissy has a Town Hall (Mairie or Hôtel de Ville). It is located in the heart of the village in the Place du Général de Gaulle. The mayor is Maurice Dorizon. He is serving his first term as mayor. He chairs a council of 27 representatives elected by the village. Boissy has its own website where you can find details of what is happening in Boissy today.

Our thanks to Gérard Leroux for this photo

The catholic parish church of St Thomas Becket is located just across the street from the Town hall at the junction of Rue du Puits Grés and Rue La Fontaine. The church was built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th century by Thomas Boissy. The church is dedicated to St Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170, when Henry II had him murdered. Thomas Becket had previously lived in exile in France and spent some time in the region near Boissy. The pulpit includes a 15th century bas-relief of St Thomas Becket carved in alabaster. There is also a coloured statue of the Archbishop near the entrance to the church.

The Sports Centre ("Complex Jeu de Paume") in Rue Albert Batteux is the centre of many sporting activities for Boissy and the surrounding area. There are:

• Two football fields (sponsored by Albert Batteux who was present at the Twinning Sports Day in September 1982)
• A boules rink
• Two outdoor and one covered tennis courts
• The Mille Club. This was built by voluntary labour using donated materials around 1980. It was part of a national scheme to build 1,000 such "clubs" throughout France. It is used by clubs and villagers for meetings and functions.
• A youth club for 15 to 25 year olds where there are computers, a TV and table football.
• A fishing lake

In the surrounding woods there are about 50 deer and people enjoy walking, hunting and collecting mushrooms there.

In the main building there is: The Vermech Hall - named after a former elected representative who died during his tenure. It is used as a fitness room The Pablo Neruda Hall - named after the Nobel prize winning Chilean poet and writer. This hall can accommodate upto 100 people and is used for dancing, theatre and receptions The Marc Alexandre Hall - named after a former Olympic Judo champion who lived in the Rue de Chârtres. It can accommodate 300 people and is used for major events, old people's meals, the swearing in of the mayor, Twinning and other receptions, basket ball, martial arts and modern and classical dance etc.

There are two primary schools in Boissy:

• École Fontaine Saint Luben (3, rue des Écoles) a secular nursery and primary school.
• École Thomas Becket (9, rue du Puits Grès) a private, catholic nursery and primary school

There is a middle school, Le Collège Albert Camus in La Norville, a 30 minute journey by school bus and three secondary schools (René Cassin, Michelet and Belmondo) in Arpajon also a 30 minute journey by school bus.

Near the Town Hall and church there are a number of shops including a butcher, a delicatessen, a bakers, a supermarket, a café, a newsagent, a hairdresser and an estate agent, as well as a library, a musical school, a school of painting, an old people's home and a medical centre. There is a Post Office in the Rue de Chârtres. Most shops shut for 2 hours at lunch time.

In the southeast corner of Boissy, by the side of the N20, is a business area called "Bas de Torfou". It has restaurants, cafes, garages, some warehouses and also the Boissy Model Club.

There is a market in Étampes, about 13 km South of Boissy on the N20, every Sunday morning and one in Arpajon every Friday morning.

There is a motel, Les Granges du Bas de Torfou with 8 rooms plus function rooms in the Rue Paris. There is also a gite, Jaillon Philippe, in the Rue Pont Cage.

The area has always been, and remains, very rural. In the 1930's there was a small train, le Tacot, which went from Etampes to Arpagon via Boissy, Saint Yon and other villages. Vegetables were conveyed by the train to Arpagon from where they went to Paris. The line closed in 1948 and today there is a footpath from Boissy to Egly and another from Saint Yon to Breuillet along the route of the old railway. There is no longer a railway station in Boissy although there is still a "Station Road" (Rue de la Gare off of the the Rue de Chârtres). Now the nearest station is in the village of Breuillet, about 3 km. to the West of Boissy. From there trains go direct to Paris.

There is a small stream "le ru" running from south to north through the village. It empties into the rivers Orge and Renarde. On the banks of the river Orge are nearly 60 km. of trails between Breuillet and Athis Mons on the Seine. From Breuillet to Viry Châtillon the banks have been converted into a recreational area with sports courses, cycle routes, picnic areas, wind surfing, fishing, etc. There are two large dams, to protect the populated areas of Egly and Brétigny from flooding.

Our thanks go to Alain Combré for his help with the content of this page.

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