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The property begins with a majestic avenue of plane trees, at the end of which the silhouettes of the manor house and its imposing dovecote can be seen. The image is seductive, but it doesn’t yet reveal the enchantment that is to follow. With their slate roofs and large windows, the buildings form a vast, beautiful, harmonious whole. But you have to go still a little further and discover the surroundings to grasp the exceptional character of this place. The art of landscape gardening is on full show here. There is an English-style park, a French formal garden arranged with box and yew bushes, a rose garden, an old-fashioned vegetable garden with flowers, trellised fruit trees, ponds, a lake, an orchard. Nothing is missing from this Garden of Eden, designed by an artist several decades ago and now passionately tended by expert hands. Young and old, botany experts and amateurs alike, and even those who are indifferent to nature will all be captivated by these marvels.
For two main reasons. The beautiful house and above all, its garden, one of the finest in the Sarthe region, which has been awarded the 'Jardin Remarquable' label (remarkable garden). We are both landscape gardeners who graduated from the Versailles landscape school, and we now look after and develop this green space on a daily basis. It is only an hour and a half from Paris by TGV, 30 minutes from the Le Mans 24-hour race track and two hours from the ocean.
A majestic driveway planted with plane trees leads to the large, square, main courtyard, dominated by the manor house and its dovecote. The surrounding manor house wall, dotted with arrow slits revealing small glimpses of the landscape structures the space around which the gardens follow on from one another. With its outbuildings and garden, the property resembles a small hamlet with its charming British-style cottages.
La Massonnière is a late 15th-century manor house that was extended in the 17th and 18th centuries. The garden was born after the acquisition of the estate in 1949 by Marguerite and Joseph Weinberg. In 1950 Pierre Kendal Bushe, Marguerite's son, designed the gardens and created a contemporary garden combining English and French inspirations with the gardener Bournigault. It includes a regular garden, a landscaped garden, a flowering kitchen garden, two enclosed green spaces and an orchard. Paved pathways, sand paths, ponds and lawns give the space structure, which is embellished by symmetric flowerbeds. The park underwent a major expansion in 1998 thanks to the painter Joël Moulin, who designed new features and decided to open it to the public. We have been the proud owners of the park since 2017.
We offer our guests a stay in a family home atmosphere in the heart of nature in the countryside, and an exceptional garden that makes this place so special. Here the light and sunshine put on a different show every day. We offer our guests guided tours of the grounds. Breakfast is made with organic and local produce and can be served in your room, the dining room or the garden.
The small flower-filled village of Asnières-sur-Vègre, a "Petite Cité de Caractère"(small village full of character), is one of the most beautiful villages in the Sarthe. The Michelin-starred restaurant "Le Ricordeau à Loué", set in a refined setting in the heart of lush parkland. The 24-hour Le Mans museum and the racing track in June. Le Mans, an "art and history" city and its historic medieval centre, the Plantagenet City, with its 20 hectares of cobbled streets, countless timber-framed houses and Renaissance hotels, surrounded by a Roman wall and overlooked by Saint-Julien cathedral. The majestic 1000-year old Saint-Pierre de Solesmes abbey is an important location for Gregorian chant.
The estate can be rented out in its entirety, including the park and gardens, which are particularly good for photos. The inside also has a wonderful atmosphere. It can accommodate small receptions, celebrations or events for up to 30 people. On-site accommodation comprises seven rooms in two buildings: the manor house and the loft flat-style villa.
ref 566465
There are three stalls in the stables and an Olympic-sized training arena giving guests the possibility to stay here with up to three horses.
Guests staying at the estate are free to visit the gardens as they like. The owners, landscape gardeners who are graduates of the Versailles landscape school, offer guided tours upon request.
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