Location

Land of small irregular-shaped fields, separated by hedges and ditches, of slate and of horses, peppered with numerous castles and manor houses, The Upper Anjou region is approx. 300 km (188 miles) from Paris and 19 or so miles to the north of Angers. Access is easy from Paris, Nantes and Rennes via the A11 motorway, the numerous main roads that crisscross the region and the TGV train (Paris Montparnasse is only 90 minutes from the capital of Anjou).
Shops, schools, sixth form colleges and all amenities are 8 km (5 miles) away; there are universities in Angers.

Description

This 71 hectare (175.4 acre) continuous estate is bordered on one of its four sides by a river. The building stands in the centre of the estate at the end of a wonderful driveway which stretches for almost 400 metres (438 yards) under a canopy formed by majestic two hundred year old plane trees and stops in front of a stone bridge. The bridge crosses the moat and gives access through the miniature castle entrance gates. Behind, the courtyard of honour, the centre of which is taken up by a wonderful lawn planted with sixteen boxwood trees; at the end, the main building; to the right, its wing set at right-angles; to the left, the chapel. On the south side, a large garden of almost a hectare (2.47 acres) crisscrossed with pathways. On the north side, the former outer bailey converted into gardens, bordered by the outbuildings which were originally used as the defensive perimeter wall. A total surface area of 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) is encircled by the water-filled moats. The castle, with the buildings that form its perimeter wall, the moats, the gardens and most of the driveways extending round about have French MH classification.
The castle:
The building was built in the 15th & 16th centuries and then extended in the 17th century by a lower right-angled wing, since which time it has only undergone several external modifications, the most noteworthy of which was a rather successful “revamping” of the facade during the Restoration period.
The inside was redesigned in the 19th century, and significant restoration works were carried out at the end of the 20th century to make it a comfortable, luxurious and pleasant place to live.
It has a total of more than 1,300 m² (13,993 sq ft) of living space: 590 m² (6,350 sq ft) in the main building and 740 m² (7,965 sq ft) in the wing.
Ground floor: a vast entrance hall leading, on the left, to the dining room, the adjoining large lounge which, in turn, leads to the medieval lounge, a small lounge in the former guard room and then a library; and, on the right, to a study, the vast kitchen and its annexes (back kitchen, scullery, etc.), then a very large room that opens on to the outer bailey, and finally a large room used as a study.
Upstairs: a master suite (bedroom, study, dressing room and shower room), 14 bedrooms and 13 bath or shower rooms, home-cinema lounge and 2 rooms which could become bedrooms.
Numerous period features have been preserved: terracotta floor tiles, some of which have inlaid decorations, monumental freestone fireplaces, scenes painted on the beams of the former guard room representing the surrounding countryside, 15th century spiral stairway in the south tower, outstanding main 16th century stone stairway, etc.
There are numerous outbuildings: chapel, miniature castle entrance gates (small 3-room flat for the groom and two upper rooms awaiting conversion above the porch), large caretakers’ cottage, house outside the defensive castle perimeter wall, stables and tack room, 3 rooms including one large one which could be used as a function room, garage, former sheepfold, dovecote, bread oven, large stables, carriage storage area now used for the tractor, kennel, pigsties, hen house, barn on the river bank.

Our opinion

It is with great pleasure that we offer this property for sale once more. It remains engraved in our memories as one of those that we sold too quickly, thus preventing us from regularly visiting a property that we very much liked.
Our feelings remain unchanged today.

Price: 2 950 000 €
Our fees are included in the stated sale price.

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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.