A 19th-century manor house with outbuildings and over 4,000m² of tree-lined grounds
in Normandy, 45 minutes from Honfleur and 150km from Paris
in Normandy, 45 minutes from Honfleur and 150km from Paris
Bourg-Achard,
SEINE-MARITIME
upper-normandy
27310
FR
Location
In the Boucles de la Seine Normande regional nature park, between Rouen and Le Havre, on the famous "abbey route" and the fruit route, the property, which is close to a national forest, extends over 4 000 m² of grounds. The Seine Valley alternates between cultural and natural heritage, featuring valleys, cliffs, hillsides, plateaux and marshes. Crossing the river in ferries is a picturesque way of getting around Rouen at peak times, for example from Heurteauville to Jumièges, where the property is located. There is a golf course just 30 minutes away. Yvetot station, which is 15 minutes away, has many daily connections to the Paris-Le Havre line. The A13 motorway takes you to the capital's La Défense business district in 1 hour 30 minutes, while the Côte Fleurie beaches are only 45 minutes away. The town centre, which is under 1 km away, has all the services and shops needed on a daily basis.
Description
In one of the bends of the meandering Seine and its wooded hills, a street winds down to the river from the main road leading to the town centre and up to the entrance of the fully enclosed property. A wrought iron gateway is flanked by two square pillars, whose cut stone originates from an ancient prison. These are topped by capitals surmounted by balls. The gate opens onto a paved driveway that crosses the garden and leads up to the steps of the house entrance. The building immediately stands out due to its size and its large stone and brick facades topped with a hipped slate roof.
A second driveway to the east runs through grassy areas planted with trees and leads to the outbuildings and a cut stone turret, which is the remains of a medieval motte. A south-facing terrace runs along the rear facade of the house, which is set at right-angles.
A second driveway to the east runs through grassy areas planted with trees and leads to the outbuildings and a cut stone turret, which is the remains of a medieval motte. A south-facing terrace runs along the rear facade of the house, which is set at right-angles.
The manor house
Its style is marked by its rectangular floor plan, corner quoins and window surrounds in cut stone from the Seine valley, its two brick chimneys and its Capuchin roof dormers with eaves which provide light and ventilation to the attic. The house has four storeys topped by a slate gable roof. The first two floors are built from rubble stone, the third from brick. The facades have five bays, and the different floors are separated by cut stone bands. On the terrace side, the rubble stone and brick facade is still, to this day, lined with mortar and set with windows taken from the Hôtel-Dieu in Rouen. On the street side, it is pierced by high double-leaf windows fitted with folding shutters.
The ground floor
A flight of four cut stone steps in the central bay leads to a two-leaf wooden door, whose upper section is glazed. Topped by a balcony, the entrance opens onto a hallway covered with cabochon tiles and the beginning of a wooden staircase with a wrought-iron banister. On one side, it leads to a lounge lit by four windows, two of which have French doors, and featuring a fireplace topped by a wooden overmantel. On the other side there is a vast, light-filled living room with a marble fireplace and identical flooring to the entrance hall. Following on from here there is an oblong kitchen in need of renovation and a dining room at right-angles to it, illuminated by three wooden-framed French windows enhanced by a basket-handle transom. All rooms have access to the south-facing terrace. From the living room, a Regency-style Hungarian oak staircase with a wood-panelled stairwell, taken from the library of a château in the Pays de Caux region, leads to a boudoir on the first floor.
The first floor
The staircase in the hallway leads to a landing which is lit by a glazed French window that opens onto a balcony. On one side there is a bedroom, heated by a marble fireplace, with an en suite shower room and toilet. The room opens onto a terrace with pear-shaped balusters. On the other side, the Regency-style staircase leads to a boudoir with high panelled walls, connected to a study by a double glass door with sandblasted Art Nouveau decorations. The entire floor has parquet flooring.
The second floor
Following the same layout, there is an oblong landing room with herringbone parquet flooring, which leads to three bedrooms with straight parquet flooring. Two have black marble fireplaces and one has its own large bathroom with a toilet. Each room is lit by two windows. The walls are painted white.
The attic
Accessed via a modest wooden glazed door, the attic is an impressive size under the exposed roof frame in need of restoration, spanning an area identical to that of the lower floors. The floor is made of wide parquet. A roof window and four dormer windows provide the necessary light to the space which has not been altered or arranged. On one side, there is a former servant's room covered in panelling and lit by one of the dormer windows.
The basement
From the hallway, a door at the foot of the staircase leads to the lower floor, where there are two rooms built of rubble stone and brick. The basement houses the recently installed electrical panel, as well as the hot water tank that supplies the entire house.
The outbuildings and turret
Situated to the rear of the house and facing the terrace, there are three outbuildings: a small house, some of the cut stone walls of which date back to the 16th century; a turret, also built from stone from the Seine valley, whose grille comes from the abbey of Saint-Wandrille; and a long brick building dating back to the 19th century.
The small stone building has been restored and rendered watertight with a single slate roof pierced by two roof windows. The inside is divided into two rooms, one of which houses a well for watering the garden.
The brick outbuilding comprises three rooms. One of them, which is currently being renovated, has a working fireplace. The original floor is paved with large flat stones.
The garden
Entirely enclosed by wire fencing and a perimeter wall, it is divided into three distinct areas. A grassy area borders the terrace and encircles the building. It is richly decorated with various plant varieties such as hydrangeas, fuchsias, junipers and weigela. Behind the outbuildings, a terraced wooded area is accessed either by the turret stairway or by the embankment at one end of the outbuildings. Overlooking the property and surrounded by lush vegetation, this expanse gives free rein to landscape design. Finally, there are grounds to the east of the property, with a rich diversity of flora: for example, a Portuguese laurel and a purple beech, or boxwood pruned into topiary and a mock orange. Further on, an imposing gunnera has found its place on the edge of a pond in the company of bamboo.
Our opinion
With its architecture and beautiful garden, this estate bears witness to the golden age of manor houses built by landowners in the 18th and 19th centuries in a region that was highly favourable for many reasons. The generously sized rooms which are flooded with light, mean that they can be organised in any way required. Nicknamed "Maison la Tourelle" over a century ago, the residence was built on an ancient medieval site between the Seine and the forest, in between the meandering bends of the river. Whether used as a holiday home or a family home, it will share its peaceful atmosphere with occupants looking for space, in a lush green, well-tended environment displaying astonishing diversity.
Reference 778967
| Land registry surface area | 4070 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 248 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 5 |
Share
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.
