15 kilometres from Le Mans, on over a little less than 15 hectares,
a Neo-Gothic chateau, its outbuildings and English-style grounds, listed as Historical Monuments
a Neo-Gothic chateau, its outbuildings and English-style grounds, listed as Historical Monuments
Mans,
SARTHE
pays-de-loire
72000
FR
Location
The property is located in the Sarthe department, within the Pays-de-la-Loire region, outside of Le Mans. The city centre is 20 minutes away, as is the high-speed rail train station, which reaches the Paris-Montparnasse train station in 55 minutes, Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport in 1 hour and 45 minutes, Lyon in 3 hours and Nantes and Rennes in 1.5 hours, while good motorway connections provide access to the entire region. Less than one hour away from the Loire Valley, Le Mans is renowned for its medieval Plantagenet city and its major automobile racing events. The racetrack golf course and the European equestrian centre are located close by in addition to local shops and services in the villages around the estate.
Description
Edified on the slope of a hill, Le Mans extends to the north of the property, past the woods. Behind tall pillars, the property is accessible via a tarmac driveway bordered by tall trees and flanked by an entrance pavilion, which houses the caretaker’s residence. Advancing through the landscaped grounds provides views, on one side, of the chateau’s symmetrical northern façade. Arriving at the top of the hill, several outbuildings constructed in the 19th century can be seen set back from the chateau. They specifically include the orangery, today converted into a guesthouse, which faces the chateau’s southern façade on the other side of the courtyard. To the west, at a distance from the buildings, the grassy grounds lead to a pond below, which reflects the tall trees’ foliage.
Following on from there, the walls of the former vegetable garden close the property off from the outside.
The chateau, listed as a historical monument, was edified in 1844 in a Neo-Gothic style. As for the grounds, they are also listed as a historical monument and were designed in 1877. Their landscaped composition, emblematic of the passion for botany in the 19th century, is the result of the close collaboration between an industrialist from Sarthe and Edouard André, an internationally renowned landscape architect, who designed Paris’s Buttes-Chaumont Park. The dwelling’s interior presents décor inspired from the 18th century, completed with Art Deco details.
Following on from there, the walls of the former vegetable garden close the property off from the outside.
The chateau, listed as a historical monument, was edified in 1844 in a Neo-Gothic style. As for the grounds, they are also listed as a historical monument and were designed in 1877. Their landscaped composition, emblematic of the passion for botany in the 19th century, is the result of the close collaboration between an industrialist from Sarthe and Edouard André, an internationally renowned landscape architect, who designed Paris’s Buttes-Chaumont Park. The dwelling’s interior presents décor inspired from the 18th century, completed with Art Deco details.
The Chateau
With an inhabitable surface area of approximately 700 m², it combines two different styles between its southern and northern façades. To the north, the edifice overlooks the grounds and, at its base, an ornamental patio is cadenced by potted olive trees. The whole is extended by a central forepart flanked by a polygonal tower at its centre, with a pair of vertically aligned windows on either side. Shorter pavilions abut either end, with corbelled turrets on each corner. The back façade, to the south, has a classical appearance and is punctuated by large picture windows vertically aligned into five rows over two levels. The pedimented dormer windows have delicate moulded stone décor, adorned with coats-of-arms or other ornamentation, while the slate roofs are accentuated with finials.
The garden-level floor
The partly vaulted garden level, punctuated with windows, extends under the entire chateau, with direct access to the outside via the eastern and northern sides. It includes a kitchen under rib vaults, a billiards room, a linen cupboard, a temperate cellar, as well as two large rooms. Lastly, on one side of the edifice, a staircase leads upstairs. Half of the floors and walls are decorated with Art Deco mosaic tiles, designed by Isidore Odorico.
The ground floor
Accessible from its southern façade via a few steps, the chateau’s main entrance, in the middle of the building, opens onto a spacious vestibule, while large French doors allow light to enter the 175 m² of reception space from all sides. A large living room with an open-hearth marble fireplace leads to a music room on one end. From there is a Chinese salon and an office-library decorated with wood panelling, while a lavatory was created in one of the bartizans. On the other side of the vestibule, a vast dining room is followed by a pantry with a goods lift, while the pantry’s lavatory is located in another bartizan. Back in the vestibule, in addition to the one that descends to the basement level, a staircase designed by Edgar Brandt ascends upstairs, with artistic ironwork decorated in gold leaf. Most of the floors are covered in mitred herringbone hardwood, while the vestibule has black-and-white cabochon stone tiles. Sienna and Sarrancolin marble was used to create the console tables and the dining room table, identical to the existing fireplaces.
The first floor
The staircase leads to a luminous landing, closed off by a door that opens onto a lavatory, a living room and a large suite. The latter is composed of a sitting room, followed by a step that leads to the bedroom area, where wall-integrated cupboards are located behind the wood panelling and mirrors. A bathroom entirely decorated in mosaic tiles, a creation of Isidore Odorico, was restored in an Art Deco style, as well as its stained glass windows and accessories. Following on from the middle living room, via a double door, a hallway leads to two suites. One is composed of a bathroom with lavatory, the other with a shower room with lavatory. The floors are covered in straight or mitred herringbone blonde oak hardwood, while the bedrooms have unobstructed views over the grounds and light inundates the entire level.
The second floor
A small staircase leads to a landing that provides access to a hallway that runs along the entire length of the building at its centre. On the northern side is a first bedroom with a marble fireplace and terracotta tile floors. It abuts a lavatory and a bathroom with a shower and bathtub. Facing this, on the other side of the hallway, a large cupboard stands next to the entrance to the attic space. A sitting room then opens onto a spacious bedroom with large cupboards. A double door from the sitting room opens onto a final private space with terracotta tile floors including a hallway, a bedroom with a large cupboard and, facing it, a shower room, also with large cupboards.
The Outbuildings
Just like the chateau, they have been mostly restored. With their façades and roofs listed as historical monuments, they include: a wash-house, caretaker’s house, stables, a woodshed, orangery, garage, aviary, etc. A U-shaped former farmyard building of 245 m² from the 19th century and enclosed by gates, is composed of stables with loose boxes and original paving. It also includes a saddle room, garages for three cars, a woodshed and a shed for a tractor, while its former farmyard extends behind it. The building is also topped with an attic, partially convertible. An adjacent wing is used as a garage for four cars, with a former flat to be refurbished upstairs.
The Former Orangery converted into a Guesthouse
With a surface area of 105 m², it is oriented south and north, with an entrance on the northern side completed by a small front patio. The vestibule, with a view of the former bread ovens, has terracotta tile floors. A couple of steps lead to a large room facing south, with visible wooden rafters and a view of the woods. A staircase leads upstairs, where a mezzanine hallway leads to two bedrooms and a shower room with a lavatory.
The Caretaker's House
Edified at the entrance of the property, it is built out of brick and stone and includes a living room, kitchen and a bathroom. Three bedrooms built into the roof space as well as a bathroom have been created upstairs.
The Grounds and Woods
Connected to the surrounding forests, including the Woods of Saint Hubert and the Forest of Bercé, this English-style landscaped property was created in 1877. With a surface area of approximately 10 hectares, it is listed as a historical monument and encircles the chateau, perched on the edge of its promontory and overlooking the plain and surrounding countryside. Among the centenary trees that populate them are: chestnuts, oaks, hornbeams, elms, hazel trees, etc. Paths have been cut through the thick foliage, the canopy of which forms a verdant vault. The landscaped composition presents a great variety of elements: rock gardens, low walls, stairs, a variety of verdant spaces with different botanical themes, a pond, etc. An arboretum with tall exotic trees most notably includes: sequoias, cedars, a ginkgo biloba, limes, horse chestnuts and acacias, all visible from the chateau.
Our opinion
Meticulously maintained and renovated for almost fifteen years, an estate partially listed as a Historical Monument, emblematic of the most elegant country residences of the 19th century. Aware of the elegance of a place that honours the French way of living, it was with the greatest concern for detail that its current occupants returned the property to its former lustre. In addition to an overall refurbishment, they also worked to provide modern comforts, fitting for a large home. Particular attention was paid to its decorative elements, which could be included in the sale. A few steps from the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans racetrack, this is an ideal property to receive family and visitors, in any season.
3 200 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 350663
| Land registry surface area | 13 ha 31 a 85 ca |
| Main building surface area | 700 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 400 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 110 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.
