A 17th-century townhouse with a walled garden, 15 minutes
from the sea, in France’s Manche department in Normandy
from the sea, in France’s Manche department in Normandy
Coutances,
MANCHE
lower-normandy
50200
FR
Location
The property lies in France’s Manche department in Normandy. The town where it is located, Coutances, is one of the main historical towns on the Cotentin peninsula. Coutances is dominated by the Gothic spires of its cathedral. The town is nestled among hedge-lined meadows, a dozen kilometres from the sea and the beautiful Côte des Havres coastline. From Coutances, you can easily reach Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, the beaches of the Cotentin peninsula’s west coast with their famous cabins, Hambye abbey, the Château de Gratot, and the charming town of Granville. From Coutances train station, you can get to Paris by rail via the city of Caen. And on the A84 motorway, around 30 kilometres away, you can reach Caen in 1 hour and 15 minutes and the city of Rennes in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Caen international airport is little more than an hour away.
Description
The townhouse Hôtel Paquet de Beauvais was built in 1650. It stands just a stone’s throw from Coutances town centre. It has a central section framed between two wings. On the street side, there is a gravel court, closed with a monumental gate. Over the course of history, the edifice was home to several judicial officers, then to Counter Admiral Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin (1766–1826), before housing the Coutances subprefecture office from 1802 to 1830. Slate roofs crown all its built sections. The elevations are made of dressed stone and punctuated with tall small-paned windows fitted with louvred shutters. The slate roofs have dormers with pediments. A trained wisteria climbs up the elevations and showcases the main entrance, which stands at the top of a flight of stone steps. The house offers a 285m² liveable floor area spread over two main levels. There are several reception rooms, an office and five bedrooms. Parts of the original wooden floors, timber staircases and wooden panelling have been preserved. The 17th-century stoneware floor tiles are also among the edifice’s remarkable historical features. Behind the house, a 600m² walled garden extends the plot northwards. There are vast vaulted cellars and different outbuildings too.
The townhouse
The ground floor
The ground floor offers a 145m² floor area. It extends across both the main section and the two wings. From the court, an entrance door leads into a dual-aspect hallway with a floor of stoneware tiles of different tones. On one side there is a lounge and on the other side a dining room. They are well balanced in size and filled with natural light from tall windows. Chevron parquet covers their floors. The dining room has kept an imposing stone fireplace with a coat of arms. Beyond it, there is a fitted kitchen. It looks out at the garden. The west wing houses an antechamber, a flight of backstairs and a former kitchen with terracotta floor tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries. On the east side, the main staircase leads up to the first and second floors. It also takes you to a bedroom on an intermediate level. This bedroom has a fireplace beneath an old trumeau panel.
The first floor
The first floor offers a 140m² floor area. It includes an office, a bathroom and four bedrooms with floor areas ranging from 12m² to 25m². You reach them straight from the main landing. The rooms are bathed in natural light and have kept many historical features, including original wooden floors, panelled doors, wooden panelling, marble fireplaces and integrated window and door frames.
The second floor
The second floor, which is in the roof space, has a bedroom with wood strip flooring and an adjoining shower room with a floor area of around 25m². There is also a vast loft, part of which could be converted.
The garden
The garden covers 600m², extending on the north side of the house. It enjoys absolute privacy and calm. This garden is entirely walled. It is landscaped with lawns, climbing plants and clusters of flowering shrubs. Several fruit trees stand beside orange and lemon trees in pots, placed around a water fountain. A cedar offers shade. On either side of the facade, there is a lean-to annexe. These annexes house a gardening workshop and a utility room.
Our opinion
This delightful 17th-century townhouse with a walled garden is a truly elegant property. It has been maintained with remarkable coherence and has kept the atmosphere, room purposes and architectural features of typical noble homes of its era. Its landscaped garden and vast reception rooms give it both character and a family feel. Its also offers handy annexes. With its layout, you could give the place a range of uses, without altering its fine balance. The greatest asset of this unique property, which lies near beaches and the hedge-lined meadows of Normandy, is its charming authenticity.
667 800 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 197105
| Land registry surface area | 942 m² |
| Main building floor area | 285 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
| Outbuildings floor area | 48 m² |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
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.
