A townhouse and its exceptional walled garden
hidden from prying eyes in the heart of Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche, ORNE lower-normandy 61400 FR

Location

To the west of the Île-de-France region, in the southern part of the Orne département, in the Perche Regional Nature Park, the property is located in the former capital of the county of Perche, a city of art and history with no fewer than seventeen listed sites. Mortagne-au-Perche boasts a large number of remarkable mansions, including the house of the philosopher Alain, as well as several religious buildings, all of which can be discovered on a heritage walk including twenty-nine buildings. The administrative capital of the region has 3,800 inhabitants and offers a full range of day-to-day shops, services and essential facilities, including primary and secondary schools, a music school and a market renowned for its wealth of local produce. It takes 2 hours to drive to Paris via the RN12. Popular for its rolling, wooded landscapes, well-preserved buildings and gentle way of life, the Perche is attracting more and more city-dwellers looking for a change of pace.

Description

The townhouse, with its courtyard and walled garden, stands in the centre of the town, and is accessed from the street through a monumental gateway with an arched pediment supported by Doric pilasters. At either end of the wall, there is a corbelled turret topped by a small imperial-style dome. The gate opens onto a main courtyard landscaped as a "white garden", surrounded by the townhouse and its outbuildings on either side.
From here, a wide paved driveway lined with square box leads to the main dwelling. Built in the 17th century and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is rectangular in plan, with projections on the courtyard facade and recesses on the garden facade. On one side, the building forms an L to accommodate a service staircase, while retaining a classical appearance. Partly built over cellars, it has three storeys, including the top level in the roofspace. The facades are either of dressed stone or lime-rendered, and the slate roof features two chimney stacks.
The south-facing garden can be accessed from the house or one of the outbuildings. A number of single-storey buildings and a pool line the sides of the garden. A shelter for one car can be accessed from a side street.

The townhouse

Bounded by pilasters and topped by a transom, the double entrance door is flanked by two symmetrical openings. The central section above the entrance door has three windows with wrought iron railings. With evenly spaced openings - as is typical of classical-style buildings - featuring large-paned windows with dressed stone surrounds, the facades suggest an unparalleled luminosity inside.


The ground floor
On the courtyard side, the entrance door opens onto a wide hallway floored with Burgundy stone tiles. It serves the main staircase and a closet to the right and lavatories to the left. Opposite the entrance are the reception rooms, including a dining room and a sitting room, as well as the kitchen and a laundry room. Generously lit by double French windows protected by internal shutters, all of these rooms face south with views over the garden. The square-shaped sitting room receives light from two casement windows and a French window. The flooring is of quarry tiles, and a marble fireplace with an overmantel mirror faces an alcove used as a bookcase. The dining room, with its panelled walls and cement floor tiles with arabesque motifs, is adorned with an authentic Austrian ceramic stove. Next follow a fitted kitchen, also with a window facing the garden, and a utility room. On this level, accessed either from the sitting room or through a door opening onto the courtyard, there is a flat of around 50 m² comprising a small sitting room, a bedroom with casement window and French window opening onto the garden, a shower room, a closet, a hallway, a small kitchen area and a lavatory. The vaulted double cellar is accessed via a door under the staircase.
The first floor
A spiral staircase with carpeted oak treads and a handrail with wrought iron bars leads to a landing. The staircase is lit by two windows, one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor. Said landing serves a long corridor leading to all the rooms on this level. On the right, there are three bedrooms, all facing south and overlooking the garden, each with its own shower room and lavatory, as well as cupboards and wardrobes. The walls of the hallway and the bedrooms are covered in designer fabrics, and two bedrooms have fireplaces. On the left, a sitting room/library with oak flooring is lit by two double windows overlooking the main courtyard. A small connecting room used as an extra kitchen is accessed via the library. Also on the first floor, but accessed via the secondary staircase starting in the courtyard, there is a second flat for rental use, with a floor area of around 60 m². It comprises an entrance hall, a sitting room with a fitted kitchen area facing the courtyard, two bedrooms with views over the garden, a closet, a shower room and a lavatory.
The second floor
A quarter-turn wooden staircase leads from the corridor of the first floor up to a landing serving on the right a corridor serving two rooms with sloping ceilings facing the courtyard, a bathroom and a shower room as well as a lavatory. To the left of the landing, a passageway leads to two former maid's rooms requiring refurbishment, as well as a shower room and a lavatory. Attic space beneath exposed timbers completes the level.

The outbuildings

Following on from the secondary staircase, the first outbuilding is the caretaker's house. The one-storey structure comprises an entrance hall, a bedroom, a shower room and a lavatory.
With a floor area of approx. 40 m², the second is a lodge with a flat-tiled roof containing a large room lit by a casement window and a French window. The flooring is of Burgundy stone with cabochons. There is also a shower room. Above, garrets complete the roofspace. There are a number of outbuildings on either side of the garden, such as sheds, workshops and lavatories.

The garden

The south-facing garden is divided into two parts. The first is a lawn stretching out in front of the reception rooms, past the row of box trees and hydrangeas that line the facade. The second, more private part of the garden invites visitors to linger for a while. It is arranged in different areas, skilfully planted and bordered by tall clumps of box. Numerous species of trees and shrubs and a wide variety of plants, including rose bushes, add colour to the garden's seasonal palette. Decorative elements such as sculptures, a trellis or terracotta pots add a finishing touch.
The courtyard has been turned into a "white garden" by a landscape gardener.

Our opinion

A discreet retreat, enclosed by high walls and hidden from prying eyes, the property has been meticulously and elegantly renovated. It offers a host of possible uses, for example as a family home or as a guest house. The refined materials, exquisite garden features and generous size of the townhouse and its outbuildings create a unique atmosphere. The property's central location in the pleasant town of Mortagne-au-Perche, where all services and amenities are close at hand, is an added benefit.

Exclusive sale

1 550 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense


See the fee rates

Reference 378307

Land registry surface area 1565 m2
Main building surface area 490 m2
Number of bedrooms 10
Outbuilding surface area 121 m2
including refurbished area 56 m2

French Energy Performance Diagnosis

Consultant

Hugues de Linares +33 1 42 84 80 85

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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.

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