Location
The village of Les Mesnuls in the Yvelines department occupies a privileged location, both close to Montfort-l’Amaury and only 26 kilometres from Versailles.
It was in the 13th century that the name Les Mesnuls appeared and in 1230 the first stone of a manor house was laid where the chateau currently stands.
Acquired in the 17th century by Henri IV’s solicitor, who hosted Louis XIII to dinner there, the chateau was then expanded and has conserved its silhouette ever since.
In the 18th century, the village of Les Mesnuls mainly relied off the work created by the chateau as well as forestry and agricultural professions.
In 1867, the perfumer Gabriel Guerlain acquired a property here, which his descendants expanded in order to create several residences.
Today, the village of Les Mesnuls proudly displays the vestiges of its past: its picturesque alleyways echoing its small shady squares.
The property is located approximately 2 kilometres from the centre of town, in the forest.
Description
The gate opens onto a winding driveway bordered by imposing rhododendron bushes, which leads to the clearing where the east-west facing house stands.
The driveway ends to the east of the house, where there is a large reception area and space to park vehicles.
The residence has more than 500 m² of living space. Rectangular in shape, it contains three levels, in addition to the attic space and a full basement, and overlooks a valley of pastures and woodlands.
Its outside walls are covered in light-colour plaster, while its windows and doors are surrounded by brick trimming. The pitched roof, in high quality dark purple Spanish slate, is punctuated by shed dormer windows in the upstairs and attic sections.
The only decoration on the smooth eastern façade, where the front door is located, is a small semi-circular balcony above the door, while the western façade is divided into three sections, composed of two wings, slightly set back on either side of a protruding rotunda.
The property, which currently houses a public establishment, includes security equipment and specific layouts in compliance with contemporary standards. However, none of this equipment has modified the building’s original decorative elements.
The Main House
The ground floor
Three front stone steps lead to an entrance hall, which includes two wooden double doors that reach practically up to the ceiling and, clad with small glass panes, generously bathe the room in light.
The total surface area of the ground floor is nearly 183 m².
The entrance hall, with a pale marble stone floor and a high ceiling, leads to a reception area, cloakroom, lavatory, stairwell that provides access to the upper floors as well as the lift that descends to the basement level.
Preceded by the vestibule, the reception area, which covers approximately 145 m² and has a floor-to-ceiling height of 3.5 metres, is made up of four rooms. Three of them are adjacent to one another: a large living room, placed along the entrance’s axis, which is located in the rotunda then, facing each other on opposite sides, there is an office with original natural oak wood-panelled walls and a dining room. Lastly, the library’s walls are trimmed in painted wood. In the living room, an 18th-century large hearth, pink and honey marble fireplace takes centre stage in the middle of one of the room’s lateral walls.
The unity and harmony of the reception spaces are highlighted by high ceilings, oak hardwood floors and wood panelling.
The rooms mostly look out towards the exterior, and are bathed in light from their many windows, which are protected by wrought-iron guardrails. The living room has garden access via a central glass door. Adjacent to the dining room, a large kitchen and its utility room occupy, along with the stairwell, the rest of the living area.
The latter is located in the back of the entrance hall, to the right, and contains a winding wooden halfpace staircase, which leads upstairs.
The first floor
The staircase leads to a landing with hardwood floors extended on either side by a hallway that provides access to six suites. The total surface area of the floor is 175 m².
The main suite is placed on the western side of the house. Circular in shape, it occupies the middle of the floor and contains a vestibule, en-suite bathroom with lavatory and a wardrobe.
A balcony adorns one of its three windows overlooking the grounds, and a light-coloured stone fireplace, mounted with a mirror that reaches all the way to the ceiling, occupies the wall facing the balcony.
Five other bedrooms, four of which have en-suite bathrooms and lavatory, occupy the rest of the floor. One of them, across from the master suite also contains a balcony.
All the bedrooms have a view overlooking the grounds.
The second floor
Accessible via a second wooden staircase, this floor was built into the roof space and has a floor area of approximately 70 m².
With hardwood floors throughout, it includes two bedrooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom and lavatory, as well as a separate lavatory. A hallway lined with cupboards – today sealed off – separates the two bedrooms, and provides a side access to the attic space.
The basement
This is accessible via an internal lift – which replaced the staircase – and a double garage door from the outside. It occupies a surface area of approximately 187 m², which includes an independent studio, also accessible from the outside on the basement level via two glass doors. There is also a large garage, where several vehicles can be parked, a cellar, several storage areas as well as the furnace and laundry room, in which the water filtering system for the house is located.
The Grounds
A clearing, which stands in front of the building, occupies an area of 10,000 m². It includes a reception area opposite the edifice and a car park for vehicles. Behind the house, an ornamental garden precedes the slight slope descending into the valley and pastures. The forest, today protected and scattered with walking paths, extends over the rest of the property, and all around it. A small hidden annex, several dozen metres away from the main building, houses a generator meant to safeguard the estate’s electricity.
Our opinion
The joys of the countryside, halfway between the capital and the Atlantic coast, with a property located in a village renowned for its quality of life and rich heritage, all less than an hour outside of Paris. The grounds are vast enough to add living and recreational spaces, and prevent the shrieks of children from disturbing the prevailing peace and quiet. Interiors and exteriors have been treated in the same manner: with a comforting and contemporary rusticity.
Today, the property is used for seminars. It presents layouts that could easily be dismantled in order to transform it into a main residence, exercise a professional activity here or turn it into a family home where generations young and old can gather together during the holidays.
2 490 000 €
Negotiation fees included
2 371 429 € Fees excluded
5%
TTC at the expense of the purchaser
Reference 876072
Land registry surface area | 12 ha |
Total floor area | 613 m2 |
Number of rooms | 18 |
Ceiling height | 3.50 |
Reception area | 145 m2 |
Number of bedrooms | 7 |
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.