Location
180 km from Paris, close to the historic town of Sées, once a major episcopal city with a rich religious and secular heritage including its cathedral and the Argentré palace. Well-served by the N12 via Mortagne-au-Perche, another city of character. It takes two and a half hours to drive to Paris. The A28 motorway between Alençon and Rouen is 7km away. Twenty minutes from the train station connecting Paris-Montparnasse. A land of woods such as the Ecouves forest, and horse breeding with the emblematic Haras du Pin national stud, the region offers many attractions, starting with its proximity to the Perche.
Description
The manor
Originally erected at the end of the 15th century, it was enlarged in the 17th century and has three floors. It is built of lime plastered stone with white stone door and window frames. The roofs are laid with flat terracotta tiles and slate tiles on the two pepperpot turrets. On the west gable, a later extension, also with slate roofing, houses the kitchen. The wide windows on the first floor are ornamented with railings.
Garden level
Slightly below the garden, a small terrace leads to a first semi-buried vaulted cellar, with arched stone walls in the form of a barrel and windows letting the light pour in. Another vaulted cellar can be reached from the first one. This houses a toilet and the boiler room. Also on the garden level, a double glass door leads to the fitted kitchen and a toilet. A stone staircase leads from the kitchen to the first floor. From the same terrace, a few steps lead to the impressive stair tower. This spiral stone staircase with a central cylindrical core serves both floors. The original oak door boasts an imposing period lock.
First floor
From the stairwell, which is lit by small windows, an oak door opens into the hallway, which leads to two bedrooms and the living room. The first bedroom is rectangular in shape with three windows facing south and east, with a stone fireplace, oak ceiling joists and terracotta floor tiles. The second bedroom is west-facing and has an en-suite bathroom with toilet; an oak door opens into the drawing room. This full-width room faces east and west and is lit by three large windows with interior shutters. It features a stone fireplace, the floor is paved with terracotta tiles and the ceiling beams and joists are made of chestnut. A door opens onto a mezzanine above part of the kitchen and a wooden staircase leads down to the kitchen.
Second floor
At the top of the spiral staircase, the last landing is protected by a wrought iron railing and the shaft is topped by a roof frame with an exposed dragon beam. One door opens into a bathroom with toilet; another into an attic with an imposing exposed rafter truss. The second floor is lit by two dormer windows and has small openings in the gable. This attic could easily be fitted out, as heating and electricity connections already exist. The important height under the beams would allow to create a mezzanine. A south/west facing bedroom with its own bathroom and toilet has been fitted out in the tower.
Our opinion
Sheltered from prying eyes, protected by the dense vegetation and the moat, this beautiful example of manorial architecture has something bewitching about it and harks back to an enigmatic medieval past. The human-sized manor house was carefully restored some fifteen years ago and the space available in the attic is a page to be written to perfect the layout and the reception capacities. This type of property, exuding elegance and measure, right next to the church of the small village, and well set in the middle of its 1.4 hectare park, has assets that clearly should attract attention.
Reference 206213
Land registry surface area | 13740 m2 |
Main building surface area | 261 m2 |
Number of bedrooms | 3 |
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.