A 9-hectare equestrian farm with well-maintained facilities, 2 hours from Paris,
in the Pays de Bray area on the edge of the Eawy public forest
in the Pays de Bray area on the edge of the Eawy public forest
Saint-Saëns,
SEINE-MARITIME
upper-normandy
76680
FR
Location
This property is located in the east of the Seine-Maritime area and the Varenne Valley, on the outskirts of the medieval town of Saint-Saëns, a place famous for its former tanneries and golf course. The neighbouring vast Eawy forest, one of France’s finest beech forests, spreads over almost 7,000 hectares. From the railway station in Montérolier 8 minutes away, Paris can be reached via Rouen in 2 hours. The motorway is additionally only a few minutes away, meaning the French capital can also be reached by car in 2 hours. The chalk cliffs and beaches of the Côte d’Albâtre coast are only 30 minutes way, as are Dieppe and Rouen, where all the infrastructures and services typical of big cities can be found. Lastly, many hiking trails and bridle ways, including the impressive Allée des Limousins through the heart of the Eawy forest, start from near to the property.
Description
On exiting Saint-Saëns, a road crosses through the forest to the farm. A simple iron gate framed by hornbeam hedges opens onto a lime tree lined drive leading to the front of the manor house, where a large patio enjoys the dwelling’s advantageous exposition to the sun. Nearby, there is a small brick building, with an adjoining cart shed, currently used as an office. The farm buildings are located to the side of and behind the manor house.
While the manor house is made of brick and topped by a hipped roof of flat tiles, one of the barns is made of wood and has a roof of lozenge shaped slate tiles, while the other is made of brick and rough-hewn blocks of flint, with a roof of interlocking tiles. Old stables, also built with brick and flint, as well as a metal-structured hangar complete the equestrian outbuildings.
Lastly, the entire estate is made up of large expanses of grassland surrounding the buildings. Gravel tracks pass through the grass, which is also dotted with rose bushes and copses of shrubs.
While the manor house is made of brick and topped by a hipped roof of flat tiles, one of the barns is made of wood and has a roof of lozenge shaped slate tiles, while the other is made of brick and rough-hewn blocks of flint, with a roof of interlocking tiles. Old stables, also built with brick and flint, as well as a metal-structured hangar complete the equestrian outbuildings.
Lastly, the entire estate is made up of large expanses of grassland surrounding the buildings. Gravel tracks pass through the grass, which is also dotted with rose bushes and copses of shrubs.
The manor house
The manor house is a solid brick building topped with a flat-tiled hipped roof, with slightly drawn back eaves, in which there are several hipped dormers, one of which has a door providing access from the outside to the loft via a straight ladder. On one of the gable ends, a large half-hipped awning made of flat tiles shelters the entrance to the vaulted and paved brick cellars that extend under two thirds of the house. The brick window and door frames are all slightly arched.
The ground floor
The floors of most of the rooms boast either square or octagonal terracotta tiles, while some are paved with brick. Parts of the walls are half-timbered, plus there are solid exposed beams and joists. The entrance door opens into a large living room with an open-plan kitchen. There is an imposing brick fireplace with ashlar jambs and a wooden mantelpiece, in which a wood-burning stove has been installed. You can reach the patio through double French windows. On one side of the living room there is a scullery and a large room used as a cloakroom. It also houses a pellet wood stove, a sink and a lavatory. On the other side, there is a lounge with a small open brick fireplace. A quarter-turn wooden staircase leads to the upper floor. Lastly, behind one door, there is a hallway with a lavatory and storage cupboard and behind another there is a bedroom with an en suite bathroom.
The upstairs
The staircase that climbs up to the top floor with partially sloping ceilings leads to a corridor which in turn leads to three bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory. A door opens into a vast attic space, after which there is a very spacious bedroom with exposed trusses.
The outbuildings
These buildings are used as stables for the horses, storage for fodder, garages for small or large farm machinery and workshops. One of the outbuildings is an old half-timbered barn which houses large box stalls and a saddlery. Its walls and gable ends are made of wood, it has a roof of lozenge-shaped slate tiles and it boasts a remarkable roof frame, both in terms of its structure and its size. The concrete slab floor provides greater comfort for the barn’s users. Nearby, there is also a large building that houses a riding arena. The passageway between the two buildings is covered. It forms a small stabling area providing shelter for the horses. A second barn, made of brick and rough-hewn blocks of flint, boasts an even more remarkable roof frame than the other barn. Its floor is paved with bricks and it was originally used for grain storage. Part of the building has been converted into a workshop. In addition, an imposing awning has been added on one side under which the farm machinery is parked, while on the other side a small brick building has been built in an L-shape.
Not much further away, there is a metal-structured hangar. It has wooden facing on two sides with a 15,000-litre vat to the rear. Furthermore, old stables with a half-hipped roof and walls made of brick as well as rough-hewn blocks of flint await renovation.
Lastly, a small, restored building set slightly back from the manor house with brick quoins and window frames houses an office. It boasts a brick paved floor and brick fireplace in which a pellet wood stove has been installed. Restoration needs to be completed in one of the rooms in this building. It could be converted into a kitchen, to enjoy outside dining in summer under the adjoining cart shed.
The pastureland
There are meadows on either side of the driveway as well as around the estate’s buildings. The enclosures with wooden fences are easy to reach from the stabling area and box stalls. A wooden-fenced grassy arena has been set up for work with the horses. There is an orchard of around thirty fruit trees, including Fisée pear trees, cherry trees and apple trees. Outside the property, a path running alongside an area given over to cropping leads to the nearby forest. The entire estate is enclosed by hedges of shrubs and tall trees.
Our opinion
This farm has been converted with much care and is set in a gently balanced environment. It is also set in an ecologically interesting landscaped area teeming with wildlife and plant-life. The ongoing concern on this property is to optimise interaction with the horses for the utmost comfort and practicality, in the heart of an especially well laid-out and well-maintained estate. The manor house with its robust architecture gives an impression of solidity, to which the stags, does and deer that can often be seen around the property are perhaps not indifferent. It is ideally situated near to Rouen and Dieppe, but nevertheless retains a resolutely rural and typically Norman character.
798 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 655603
| Land registry surface area | 8 ha 62 a 99 ca |
| Main building surface area | 180 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
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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.
