Location

In Lower Normandy, in the French department of Orne. In a national regional park. Thirty or so kilometres from motorways heading West. In undulating farming countryside.

Description

It comprises a 15th century medieval castle with its more recent outbuildings.
The castle includes 6 bedrooms, a reception hall, a great hall, a library and a kitchen.
It is set in 8 ha (19.8 acres) of grasslands, featuring a stretch of water, in farming countryside with no near neighbours.
Whilst maintaining its fortified appearance, the castle was turned into a residential home in the 16th and later centuries as is indicated by a certain number of interior features.

The main building
The main living accommodation overlaps with the adjoining outbuildings which are situated on both sides of the castle’s grassy courtyard. The castle walls are built of granite ashlar blocks.
The facade of the main building features two octagonal towers, sheltering spiral stairways leading to the upper floors. The mullioned windows in the upper part of this building are typical of the 15th century. The windows on the ground floor are wider than those of the floor above, having perhaps been modified in the 17th century. The towers have small windows.
To the right of the main facade, the building forms a rectangular wing which protrudes in relation to the central building.
There are two entrances to the building, one is between the two towers and the other is in the gable end. A third provides entry to the cellar.
A gable wall building is included in the facade to the rear of the building. A last building on the far right of the rear façade completes this confusion of constructions.
Apart from the slate-roofed turrets, the entire building is covered with a tiled roof which also features six chimneys. The roofing frameworks are wonderful, especially that in one of the staircase towers. Assembly is by means of wooden mortices and tenons.
The inside of the building is marked by the medieval, end of the 15th century and end of the 16th century eras, with its immense granite or stone fireplaces, its cob or terracotta tile floors; the tiles being either hexagonal as in one of the bedrooms, or square as in the great hall. The interior doors are of wood and the key stones are in the form of ogee arches. Later, as of the 16th century and during the 17th century, works were carried out to include oak parquet floors, French ceilings, Chantilly-style parquet flooring in the “Seigneurial bedroom”, and plain wooden flooring in a communal bedroom. The walls have lime rendering. Attic spaces and a cellar complete this main building.

The outbuildings
These include a cellar, a cowshed, a former barn, a former wooden cowshed and the ruins of a barn, part of which dates from the 15th century. Most are built of ashlar blocks with the exception of a wooden barn. The openings or porches to these buildings are rectangular and prove that the outbuildings are more recent than the 15th century castle. The roofs appear to be in a good state of repair, apart from the barn in ruins of which there remains a piece of wall, a gable which is still standing due to the adjoining building.
There is consistency in the architectural form of the property as a whole, however, it was perhaps a former stronghold house transformed into a Seigneurial residence, thus losing its defensive features.

Our opinion

History appears to have wanted to partially spare this dwelling and its current resident over 40 years of ownership has put new life back into it without ever taking the easy way out. Obviously, it is austere, but it is also beautiful and authentic. The rural commune in which it is situated protects it from all nuisances and the nearest neighbour is 500 m (547 yards) away.

Price: Contact us
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.