A 19th-century chateau, with its chapel, convertible outbuildings
and 25 hectares of grounds, between Nantes and Vannes
and 25 hectares of grounds, between Nantes and Vannes
Nantes,
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE
pays-de-loire
44000
FR
Location
The property is located in the north-western part of the Loire-Atlantique department, part of the Pays de la Loire region, about thirty kilometres away from the ocean. In six kilometres, a town includes most essential services and shops, while a railway line makes it possible to easily reach the train stations in Nantes or Redon. In addition, the international airport is only 45 minutes away.
Description
Dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, the property includes a little more than 25 contiguous hectares, within a peaceful wooded countryside. From a small public road, the chateau appears at the end of a long 300-metre bridal path planted with deciduous trees. The 460-m² edifice’s main façades face east on the courtyard side and west towards the grounds. Built according to a symmetrical plan at the beginning of the 19th century, the central building’s eastern side has a slate gable roof and is flanked on either end by two prominent pavilions, each topped with hipped roofs crowned with decorative finials. Creating the link between the two wings is a glass-enclosed winter garden adorned with artistic metalwork, which was added in 1910. The roughcast façades are cadenced by five vertical rows of rectilinear large-paned windows framed by ashlar stone quoins, the central row of which is crowned with a curvilinear pediment.
On the building’s western side, a triangular pediment above a glass door, which provides access to the grounds, enlivens the façade’s austere design, while white-painted wooden louvred shutters safeguard the windows on the first floor.
The chateau is surrounded by gravel, followed by vast lawns with the outbuildings and a chapel located to one side, while, on the other, there is a former farm and a number of annexes. The outbuildings comprise a floor area of approximately 660 m² and include, among other things, a stable with horse stalls, a cowshed, a bakehouse, a fruit cellar, a pressing shed, a granary, a barn and a caretaker’s cottage. Behind the house is an enclosed vegetable garden of nearly 2,000 m², while the 18 hectares of surrounding mature forests guarantee the property’s privacy.
On the building’s western side, a triangular pediment above a glass door, which provides access to the grounds, enlivens the façade’s austere design, while white-painted wooden louvred shutters safeguard the windows on the first floor.
The chateau is surrounded by gravel, followed by vast lawns with the outbuildings and a chapel located to one side, while, on the other, there is a former farm and a number of annexes. The outbuildings comprise a floor area of approximately 660 m² and include, among other things, a stable with horse stalls, a cowshed, a bakehouse, a fruit cellar, a pressing shed, a granary, a barn and a caretaker’s cottage. Behind the house is an enclosed vegetable garden of nearly 2,000 m², while the 18 hectares of surrounding mature forests guarantee the property’s privacy.
The Chateau
Partly built over vaulted cellars, it has three floors and includes: a garden level with the living spaces, an upstairs floor with five bedrooms, a top floor with five more bedrooms as well as a patio that runs along the chateau’s entire back façade.
The ground floor
The front door is located in a vast glass and metalwork conservatory decorated with white wrought-iron scrollwork. Bathed in light and used as a winter garden, it has a colourful cement tile floor. A set of glass doors with leaded windows decorated with floral motifs, leads to an office with a moulded ceiling bathed in light thanks to a large picture window facing the courtyard. Opposite the conservatory, the original entrance hall has a black-and-white tile floor arranged in a chequerboard pattern. With a dual aspect, it reveals, at its other end via glass doors, the property’s grounds extending to the west. This space also includes a quarter-turn wooden staircase, which leads upstairs. On one side, a living room with herringbone hardwood floors has a moulded plaster ceiling decorated with two ceiling roses as well as a wood stove framed by made-to-measure bookshelves, while a set of glass doors provides direct access to the patio and grounds. On the other side of the vestibule, a vast kitchen includes a dining area. With a rustic feel, thanks to its large stove, this room has conserved its polished stone floor. A pointed rubble stone wall and a herringbone hardwood floor defines the eating area, while another set of glass doors opens onto the grounds. An adjacent utility room with an original cement chequered-pattern tile floor is bathed in light by a tall window facing the courtyard while a service entrance on the house’s southern gable end opens onto a set of steps topped with a glass canopy.
The first floor
This level is accessible via the wooden staircase in the vestibule. On either side of the landing, a hallway leads to five comfortable bedrooms whose large casement windows provide unobstructed views over either the grounds or the courtyard. With moulded ceilings and straight-plank hardwood floors, the spacious main suite adjoins a wardrobe. Currently, this floor has a bathroom and two shower rooms, each with their own lavatory.
The second floor
This floor includes five additional bedrooms, including a dormitory of approximately 27 m², as well as a bathroom, shower room and two lavatories. A long hallway with hardwood floors leads to all the rooms, three of which face west. The many windows on this floor provide this level with breath-taking views of the surrounding nature, while some of the ceilings have exposed whitewashed beams and all the bedrooms have hardwood floors.
The Outbuildings
Older than the chateau itself, and most likely from before the French Revolution, they are located on either side of the chateau. Built out of stone and brick and covered with recently restored slate roofs, they were once reserved for farm purposes. An independent dwelling of nearly 140 m² should be fully renovated by the end of summer 2024 and includes three bedrooms. However, the former caretaker’s cottage still needs to be renovated in order to create a second independent dwelling.
The Chapel
Built in the 18th century and rectangular in shape, the 35-m² chapel faces east and west and is covered with a hipped roof and topped with a small roof light, while the vestiges of a sealed arch are visible to the west. Its entrance is located on its southern side, via a door topped with a cross. To the north, an arm of the transept houses the sacristy of nearly 10 m². A window protected by metal bars next to the front door as well as two small square windows, located on its eastern wall, bathe the chapel’s interior with sunlight, while various small holes in the wall provide the sacristy with natural light. With a wooden vaulted ceiling, the chapel’s floor is covered in slate slabs and its walls are clad in wainscoting, while the sealed arch, which appears square in the chapel’s interior, was converted into a niche, with an oculus above. In addition, small paintings depicting the “Way of the Cross” are displayed on the walls and the distinctive Neo-Classical altar’s pediment displays the Latin inscription “VIRGINE DEIPARA”, which in English means “Virgin Mary Mother of God”.
The Grounds and Land
Preceded by a wooded section with a 300-metre long drive, the property has a total area of approximately 25 hectares – homogeneously arranged around the buildings – none of which are rented out or occupied. Bordered to the west by the road and to the east by a stream, the property includes vast grounds planted with a variety of centenary trees, as well as an enclosed vegetable garden of approximately 2,000 m². Its mature forestland, extending over nearly 18 hectares and mainly made up of deciduous trees – chestnuts, beeches, oaks and Douglas firs – is accessible via the central drive as well as a 1.5-kilometre track, which loops around the entire property.
Our opinion
On this wooded property of 25 hectares, sheltered from view and the outside world, an elegantly understated 19th-century chateau, in very good condition, boasts a vast inhabitable space, ideal for a family in search of peace and quiet. Thanks to its many windows overlooking its expansive grounds, its interior is bathed in natural light and adorned with original decorative elements, including a large winter garden from 1910. Hidden behind hydrangea bushes, several annexes and outbuildings provide multiple possibilities for additional developments on a property located between the countryside and the Atlantic Ocean.
1 428 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 180217
| Land registry surface area | 25 ha 71 a 19 ca |
| Main building surface area | 460 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 10 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 660 m2 |
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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.
