Near Bernay, and 1 hour from Rouen and Deauville,
a renowned horse stud farm on 77 hectares of land
a renowned horse stud farm on 77 hectares of land
Bernay,
EURE
upper-normandy
27300
FR
Location
This horse stud farm is set in the midst of Normandy, just an hour’s drive from Rouen and Deauville, with its racecourse and its famous yearling sales. Paris can be reached in two hours via the A13 motorway. Bernay, but a few kilometres away, has all the attractions of a medium-sized, character town with olde-worlde charm.
A sub-prefecture classified as a “town of art and history, it is in a privileged geographic location, with a good road network (D438, D613 and A28). The train station on the Paris-Cherbourg line provides 1½-hour links to Paris-Saint-Lazare as well as to Rouen and Caen.
Description
A caretaker’s cottage and its private garden keep a watch over the entrance gates. A long bridlepath driveway, bordered by trees, divides the stud farm into two clearly separate sections. On one side, a large, luxurious home, the stallions’ barn, its facilities as well as grassy areas and, on the other side, the central stables, the annexe buildings, the outbuildings and other miscellaneous outhouses.
The group of buildings are surrounded by meadows and paddocks, contained within wooden rail fencing that participates in the estate’s aesthetic unity and quality as well as the sustainability of its activities and buildings. Here, the owners of the property reaffirm the reputation of the Norman land, considered as some of the best for raising horses.
Both in an Anglo-Norman style and dating from the beginning of the 20th century, the main house and the caretaker’s dwelling have clipped gable flat tile roofs and plaster-coated rubble stone and brick walls, which are cadenced by large windows with small-wood joinery. The construction’s era and style as well as their associated materials and ornamental decorations can be found in the solid walls of the stables and water tower, plaster coated and punctuated by brick wall ties and stringcourses. The roofs are in tile or fibre cement for the former and slate for the latter.
The group of buildings are surrounded by meadows and paddocks, contained within wooden rail fencing that participates in the estate’s aesthetic unity and quality as well as the sustainability of its activities and buildings. Here, the owners of the property reaffirm the reputation of the Norman land, considered as some of the best for raising horses.
Both in an Anglo-Norman style and dating from the beginning of the 20th century, the main house and the caretaker’s dwelling have clipped gable flat tile roofs and plaster-coated rubble stone and brick walls, which are cadenced by large windows with small-wood joinery. The construction’s era and style as well as their associated materials and ornamental decorations can be found in the solid walls of the stables and water tower, plaster coated and punctuated by brick wall ties and stringcourses. The roofs are in tile or fibre cement for the former and slate for the latter.
The large, luxurious home
This Anglo-Norman style house, dating from the early 20th century, spans a total floor surface area of approx. 250 m² over two levels. The walls are rendered and the wide, small-paned openings, enhanced with a cleverly designed, red brick decoration on the main facade, gives the architecture a deliberate British air.
The roof is covered with tiles. The house and the terrace running alongside it are surrounded by lawns. Ingeniously added to one end of the building, a luminous veranda adjoins the west gable and provides yet another living area, much appreciated in all seasons.
The ground floor
An entrance hall, housing a wooden stairway, provides access to a vast area, spanning approx. 60 m², laid out as a lounge and a dining room. A fireplace is flanked by built-in bookshelf units. The walls are lined with wainscoting and the floors covered with solid oak wood parquet flooring. Double, small-paned doors open directly out on to the garden. A study is decorated in a similar manner and is widely illuminated courtesy of its many windows. Heating is provided by a wood-burning stove and wide, double doors open on to the outside. A fully fitted kitchen features numerous cupboard units. A cellar can be reached from the laundry room. A veranda, spanning approx. 10 m², is currently used as a conservatory.
The upstairs
The landing provides access to three bright, comfortable bedrooms. Featuring solid oak wood parquet flooring, they each have their own tiled shower room and toilet.
The caretaker’s cottage
This cottage spans approx. 75 m² over two levels. Its architecture is similar to that of the main house. The ground floor comprises a main room and a kitchen area. A stairway leads upstairs to two bedrooms, with built-in cupboards, and a shower room. This level has parquet flooring throughout.
Wide hedges delimit an enclosed, private garden.
The water tower
This building also reflects the same architectural codes in fashion at the time of its construction. Its octagonal shape, going up to a height of some 15 metres, features several openings and is crowned with a so-called “Chinese hat” roof, topped with a zinc finial in the shape of a horse.
Although no longer used for its original function, it still has a spring-fed well, going down to a depth of some 60 metres, at its base.
The stallions' barn
This long, red brick building is topped with a tile roof. It houses eleven horse loose boxes reached via a corridor. A small staff flat has been laid out at one end. It comprises a main living room and a kitchen area, with two bedrooms and a shower room upstairs.
Adjoining this long building are a servicing station, a room with insemination cubicles and an area given over the veterinary care.
Electrified paddocks, perfectly enclosed with wooden rail fencing surround the stallions’ stable. They are fitted with purpose-made hayracks and mangers fixed at a certain height so that horses needing special attention can be left safely.
The central stables
These are composed of three buildings laid out in a U-shape around a square, grass courtyard, planted with ornamental shrubs. This is an ideal layout when presenting horses for sale.
Some of the 37 horse loose boxes are dedicated to foaling. A small staff flat has been created for the groom, with a bedroom and a kitchen-shower room. Also nearby are a tack room, a room for veterinary care and medicines as well as a room for watching over the foaling boxes, with a shower room and toilet.
A club-house, with a reception area for customers, includes a bar, a kitchen area and toilets.
An outdoor shower for the horses and an area for medical care, with an ultrasound scanner, are laid out behind these stables. The dung-heap pit has been installed next to the garages for the horseboxes and farm machinery as well as a workshop. A fodder storage room with a silo, stalls with water supply points and hayracks are also to be found in this dedicated area.
The equestrian facilities
Bordering the estate and the numerous paddocks with shelters, a 35x18 m sandy riding arena and a training track, some 800 m long, are laid out across the plain and a wooded section.
At the end of the estate are two large farm sheds, used for storing fodder, balls of hay as well as farming equipment.
The many paddocks on the stud farm are all enclosed with wooden rail fencing, reinforced with electric safety fencing, and all have hayracks or mangers.
The hay used for feeding the horses is grown on land belonging to the stud farm, dedicated solely to this purpose.
More land, spanning approx. 70 hectares, is to be found outside of the stud farm, on the other side of the little road separating the estate. It is laid out with paddocks fitted with shelters, water as well as hayracks. These splendid areas are perfect for raising and developing young horses in ideal conditions on a first-class site.
Our opinion
A traditional horse stud farm, whose functionality is matched by a well-honed style, demonstrated by its buildings and land, its era of construction as well as a certain affluence. Here, the concern for quality, aesthetic unity and the long-term management of animal husbandry goes hand in hand. The 90 or so horses on the estate benefit from facilities and land, whose virtues ensure recognition, the establishment having already been bolstered by the municipality’s involvement with the provision of a racecourse and adjacent pastures. The care taken in the upkeep of the entire horse stud farm – meadows, paddocks and buildings – honours a tradition that its operators endeavour to perpetuate and which pleases the eye once on the premises. Here, past its well-defined lines and green expanses of grass, the horizon is all encompassing.
Reference 417099
| Land registry surface area | 77 ha 7 a 73 ca |
| Main building surface area | 250 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 3 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 3800 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.
