A chateau from the era of King Louis XIII of France, listed as a historical
monument and nestled in Brittany, just 10 minutes from the city of Rennes
monument and nestled in Brittany, just 10 minutes from the city of Rennes
Rennes,
ILLE-ET-VILAINE
brittany
35000
FR
Location
The estate lies in the beautiful countryside of Brittany, yet not far from shops and amenities. The surrounding landscape is a patchwork of woods, lakes and fields, crisscrossed with country lanes that lead to quaint villages that dot the local area. The beaches of the town of Saint-Malo are less than one hour away. And from the train station in the city of Rennes, just 10 minutes away, you can get to Paris in only 1 hour and 30 minutes by rail. Rennes international airport is nearby too.
Description
The chateau’s style is typical of the era of King Louis XIII of France. Indeed, its architecture is characteristic of the 17th century. Though the edifice was mentioned as early as in 1419, it was rebuilt in 1655. The chateau has been listed as a historical monument since 1969. It offers a 646m² floor area. The building has a central section, extended with two pavilions that protrude slightly. The facade is coated with rendering and punctuated with five even bays of four floors. The edifice is capped with a steep slate roof with dormers that have arched pediments. Fleur-de-lys-shaped finials crown the pavilion roofs. The window surrounds are made of limestone, laid in vertical toothed courses that frame the windows. Stringcourses with mouldings, also made of limestone, mark the different floors. The decorative features are discreet. They include sculpted suns and coats of arms in bas-relief. From the east elevation, the pavilion ends are extended with two half-timbered corner towers. Each of these two towers is capped with an ogee roof, crowned with a small bell tower. Outbuildings dot the rest of the estate. They include a caretaker’s house, a bakehouse and two dovecotes, which are also listed as historical monuments. The whole collection of buildings is surrounded by a French-style topiary garden and tree-dotted grounds that cover more than three hectares and include a lake, a kitchen garden, a rose garden and a tennis court.
The Louis XIII style chateau
The base level
The plinth course is punctuated with basement windows. This lower level includes a summer lounge with exposed ceiling beams and a fireplace, a kitchen that leads out to the garden, three lavatories with richly decorated taps, a wine cellar and a boiler room.
The second level
A flight of granite steps leads up to the entrance door. This entrance door leads into a hall that connects to the reception rooms. On the south side, there is a vast lounge with wall fabrics and a carpeted floor. Its looks out on three sides through tall, garden-facing windows. The ceiling height reaches around four metres. The ceiling’s exposed beams and joists are painted in vivid colours: royal blue, red and emerald green. They form a polychromatic ceiling decorated with ermines and fleurs-de-lys. Above the majestic central fireplace there is a chimney breast that is framed between pilasters and is richly ornamented with floral motifs and gilded mouldings. On one side, a discreet bar area lies in the corner tower. Beside the lounge, there is a dining room that looks eastwards and westwards at the gardens. There are wall fabrics and the floor is carpeted. Two wooden-panelled fireplaces decorated with gold touches and friezes face each other at the ends. The vermilion red of the beams and joists combine well with the beige tones and motifs of the dining set cupboards. An adjoining scullery lies in the corner tower.
The third level
You reach the second floor via a large staircase with balusters. This floor has a triple-aspect master bedroom with a granite fireplace and an adjoining office and shower room in the corner tower. Next, there is a second office and two bedrooms with a bathroom. In these bedrooms, the floors are carpeted and the walls adorned with fabrics or wallpaper.
The fourth level
The main bedroom up here is a dual-aspect room. Beside it there is a bathroom in one of the corner towers and a children’s bedroom with a shower room. There is also billiard room in the loft space under the steep roof frame of the northern pavilion. The floors are carpeted.
The caretaker’s house
To the east of the chateau, there is a caretaker’s house. This building houses a former stable. The house has a ground floor and a first floor. It offers a liveable floor area of around 110m². It is made of rubble schist and is crowned with a slate roof with four hipped dormers. On the ground floor, on the west side, there are three archways set in ashlar surrounds. These arched doorways lead into two garages, a cellar and a workshop. There are three adjoining rooms: a laundry room, a linen room and a sauna with a shower room and lavatory. The dwelling lies up on the first floor in the roof space. It includes a kitchen, a lounge, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a shower room.
The two dovecotes
The two dovecotes are round towers built of earth and capped with cone slate roofs crowned with roof lanterns. The smaller dovecote adjoins the south-east corner of the outbuilding. It has a window on its first floor. The larger dovecote, located towards the north-east, has been converted into a vast pantry in which pigeonholes neighbour wine racks that you reach via a rotating ladder.
The bakehouse
The bakehouse is made of rubble schist and granite ashlar. It is crowned with a slate roof. This building houses a bread oven.
The grounds
The main drive that leads up to the chateau is edged on both sides with a French-style garden of neat lawns dotted with topiary hedges and shrubs, including camellias and yews. On the eastern side, a majestic oak – several centuries old – towers beside magnolias, gingko bilobas, plane trees and pines. The grounds cover around 3.3 hectares. Drives run through the woods. The parkland is made up of lawns demarcated by neatly trimmed hedges. The estate also includes a rose garden, a kitchen garden and a tennis court. A little wood and a lake, covering around 2,500m² and abounding in fish, mark the edges of the property.
Our opinion
This splendid chateau, listed as a historical monument, is a true emblem of 17th-century France. Tucked away in the beautiful landscape of Brittany’s Ille-et-Vilaine department, the edifice displays the neat traits of its evenly designed architecture with its central section, pavilions and slender half-timbered towers. This distinct character is extended inside with well-preserved decorative features, including remarkable polychromatic ceilings. The rooms are spread out over several floors in a clear layout arranged around spacious reception rooms. The majestic chateau, an undeniably precious gem of built heritage, lies conveniently close to Brittany’s main city: Rennes. With its outbuildings, also listed, and its landscaped grounds, the property offers a wide range of possible uses.
3 510 638 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 408033
| Land registry surface area | 3 ha 34 a 38 ca |
| Main building floor area | 756 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 7 |
| including refurbished area | 110 m² |
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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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.
