A 1950s house with 19th-century outbuildings,
12 km from Rouen, with almost 20 hectares of grounds, woods and meadows
12 km from Rouen, with almost 20 hectares of grounds, woods and meadows
Barentin,
SEINE-MARITIME
upper-normandy
76360
FR
Location
This 20-hectare property is located in the south of the Pays de Caux area, 7 km as birds fly from a meander in the River Seine, in the middle of a small town. The surrounding environment is made up of open fields dotted with tree-filled villages as well as fenced hoves with tall trees. In addition, the Boucles de la Seine regional natural park is not far away, as is the Seine estuary nature reserve. Convenience shops are just 2 kilometres away, while Paris can be reached in 2 hours by train or motorway.
Description
After the Second World War, the mansion built in the centre of the property was requisitioned by the Americans, after the German occupation. For greater comfort, they demolished load-bearing walls which damaged the edifice, eventually resulting in its destruction. A modern house of traditional appearance, with rendered façades, roof made of local tiles and gable dormers was thus built in the middle of the 20th century where the previous building had stood. This two-storey, southeast facing dwelling overlooking a patio is vast, comfortable and has been designed in every way to accommodate a large family.
Additionally, at the entrance to the estate, there is an estate keeper’s house. A long drive winds through the woods and then vast lawns before reaching a large, gravelled area in front of the house.
Beyond the woods, a meadow planted with apple trees surrounds a vast barn and a dovecote.
Lastly, to the rear of the residence, behind the tall trees, there is a stable, its adjoining accommodation and the entrance to the vegetable garden that the estate possesses. The various outbuildings, built between 1855 and 1865, have the same characteristics: spacious, built in ashlar, flint and brick. The quality of their construction can be seen in the many decorative details.
Additionally, at the entrance to the estate, there is an estate keeper’s house. A long drive winds through the woods and then vast lawns before reaching a large, gravelled area in front of the house.
Beyond the woods, a meadow planted with apple trees surrounds a vast barn and a dovecote.
Lastly, to the rear of the residence, behind the tall trees, there is a stable, its adjoining accommodation and the entrance to the vegetable garden that the estate possesses. The various outbuildings, built between 1855 and 1865, have the same characteristics: spacious, built in ashlar, flint and brick. The quality of their construction can be seen in the many decorative details.
The house
It has two storeys and a cellar, with a flat-tiled, hipped roof, dotted with gable dormers and topped with brick chimney stacks. The large-paned windows on the first level, which are semi-circular arched in the middle of the building and rectangular at the sides, where the façade protrudes slightly, are fitted with blue-painted, wooden louvred shutters.
The ground floor
The entrance, paved with large, light-coloured tiles and black taco tiling, leads to an office and a lounge, on one side, and to a cloakroom with a lavatory, as well as the kitchen and dining room on the other. Two bedrooms standing one next to another can be reached from both rooms to the rear. One of them has an en suite bathroom. Thanks to the many windows, this level is generously bathed in light, especially the reception rooms, which are separated by large wooden sliding doors and from where the patio can be reached through semi-circular arched French windows. There is mosaic wooden flooring in this room.
The upstairs
The upper floor has a slightly sloping roof and gable dormers allow light to stream in. The wooden staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade leads to a landing and then, on either side, to two wide corridors. One of them leads to three bedrooms, each of which has a washbasin, and to a shower room. On the other side, the second corridor leads to two rooms set one after another, used as a utility room and laundry room, as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom. The same flooring as on the ground floor can be found throughout.
The basement
This level spreads out under most of the house (which has a crawl space under the lounge). The walls are made of blocks of flint and there is a concrete floor. There are several rooms, used as a boiler room, storage space and a wine cellar, which has a gravel floor to help regulate humidity and help preserve the bottles’ content.
The outbuildings
They are made up of:
- The estate keeper’s house at the entrance to the property. It has three storeys with a partial basement that can be reached from the outside. It has a surface of approximately 110 m² and the entrance is through two French windows. It has a small room, a large kitchen and a lounge on the ground floor, two bedrooms next to each other and a bathroom with lavatory on the first floor, with lastly three rooms, two of which are next to each other, in the attic space, with partially sloping ceilings. There is straight, wood stripped flooring on the upper floors, while the ground floor is paved with terracotta as well as cement tiles. This house is in need of renovation.
- An approximately 400 m² barn with a slate gabled roof. In the middle of the two façades on which there is a brick belt course, there is a large, triangular pediment with a semi-circular arched window, under which there are tall carriage doors. A large awning runs along the entire façade.
- A hexagonal dovecote with a slate roof. It has an ashlar sleeper wall, two belt courses separating the different levels and corbels supporting the pepper-pot shaped roof frame. Black and orange bricks form alternating geometrical shapes.
- The former stables, a part of which has been converted into tied accommodation, with a surface of approximately 62 m². In the stables, the original box stalls are still in place, as are their decorative features, such as brass post caps, marbled stone panels, moulded wooden panels and elegantly curved partition railings. Lastly, a large garage with a surface of around 100 m² stands next to this building.
The grounds, woods and meadows
The woods and meadows surround the large lawns which in turn surround the modern house. The grounds boast a number of several century old trees that are sufficiently far away to be suitably admired. One of the copper beech trees has been pollarded, but its lower branches that almost touch the ground have layered and given rise to new trees. There are also Lebanon cedars, sequoias, wild cherry trees, horse chestnuts, oaks and lime trees, one of which is leaning. There are also many imposing flower beds and shrub borders.
- The woods spread out over 14 hectares and are covered by a simplified management plan that is valid until 2038. They are mostly made up of beech, Sessile oaks, red oaks, chestnuts and wild cherry trees, as far as deciduous trees are concerned, also with evergreen trees such as European spruces and larch.
- One of the meadows is planted with cider apple trees, spread around the large barn and dovecote. The second meadow is located behind the vegetable garden.
- The vegetable garden provides fruit and vegetables for the kitchen as well as flowers for the reception rooms. It is planted with venerable pear trees, simple plants, numerous flowering plants and shrubberies. Straight paths run through it. A metal and glass greenhouse sits in the middle of it, while a small building at its entrance is used as latrines. Additionally, in one corner, former kennels have been converted into a hen coop. On two sides, the grounds are enclosed by high brick walls. On the other side of the trellised fruit trees, against a wall, there is a narrow, 100-m long building. Its many sections are mainly used for log storage.
Our opinion
In a location that combines discretion and independence, vast spaces and discreet spots, the property's past with its various buildings sits judiciously alongside the modern era. The volume of each of the 19th-century outbuildings allows total creative liberty for their refurbishments and purpose. As for the residence itself, it has benefited from the reconstruction that the estate has undergone, with a fluid, well-thought-out layout and clever interconnection. Quality is the watchword throughout. As a result, the tall panelling from the old mansion has been reinstalled in the reception rooms of the property, which, until today, has remained in the hands of a well-known family of spinning mill industrialists. The rural nobility of the property, which has witnessed the various episodes of its history, is a guarantee for a bright future.
950 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 991649
| Land registry surface area | 19 ha 70 a 60 ca |
| Main building surface area | 260 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 800 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 172 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.
