A 19th-century manor inspired by the Italian Renaissance with almost two hectares
of grounds dotted with remarkable trees, tucked away in Normandy
of grounds dotted with remarkable trees, tucked away in Normandy
Champsecret,
ORNE
lower-normandy
61700
FR
Location
The property lies in southern Normandy, in the west of France’s Orne department, between the towns of La Ferté-Macé and Domfront-en-Poiraie. It is 30 minutes from France’s Calvados department. The Passais natural area with its green meadows and forests extends around the property, not far from the Ermitage lakes and the Roche aux Dames rock-climbing site. The Bagnoles-de-l'Orne golf course is 10 minutes away. The property is nestled in the heart of a charming village of granite houses, 250 kilometres from Paris and 100 kilometres from the city of Le Mans. From the train stations in the towns of Flers and Briouze, 18 minutes from the village, you can reach the French capital in two hours by rail. And you can go shopping for everyday needs by bicycle or on foot from the property.
Description
You reach the property from one of the village roads. It is tucked away in undulating landscape where it looks out at Andaines forest. This road runs through enclosed, tree-dotted grounds up to a wrought-iron gate that marks an old entrance. On one side, a lane leads to the village and the main entrance. There is a first building: an old stable and cart shelter. And at the end of a driveway, a manor stands in a commanding position. A courtyard lies in front of it. The manor’s central section has a turret on one side. This turret houses the main staircase. Alongside a stone wall behind the house, there is a raised vegetable patch and a large storehouse. The manor was built in 1850, based on a square plan with a total floor area of 300m². Its style was inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Construction of the house was ordered by a rich mining industrialist. The main section’s facade displays perfect symmetry. It is divided into even bays. Its brickwork and dressed stone give it two tones. The house has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in the roof space. It also has a basement. The dwelling is crowned with a hipped roof with tall stone chimney stacks and stone dormer windows. There are two bull’s-eye windows at the front. The facade has five rectangular windows: two on the ground floor and three on the first floor. One has a wrought-iron balcony upon stone corbels. On the east side, there are eight windows. Each one is capped with a pediment of dressed stone adorned with carved mascarons, flowers and fruits. A bartizan turret adjoins one of the elevations.
The manor
The ground floor
The ground-floor rooms are spacious. The entrance door leads into an extensive hallway with a floor of cement tiles edged with a decorative strip. This hall connects to a dining room and a lounge via a double oak door. At the end of the corridor, a mirror increases the sense of space. In the rooms, there are marble fireplaces. Oak flooring extends across the rooms. The ceiling height is more than three metres. Cornices with mouldings adorn the ceiling edges. A timber staircase with two quarter turns leads up to the first floor. You can reach the kitchen from the entrance hall and the dining room. This kitchen offers a floor area of more than 20m². It is a fitted kitchen decorated with ceramic tiles. Terracotta tiles cover its floor. A fireplace stands against one of the walls. A side door leads out onto a terrace outside. Two windows fill the room with natural light.
The first floor
A spacious corridor connects to four large bedrooms with wood strip flooring. There are two comfortable bathrooms. The decoration up here is baroque in style. The furniture is historical.
The second floor
The whole second floor is filled with natural light from 19th-century dormers with remarkable stone pediments that are richly sculpted. A broad, arched corridor connects to the space with sloping attic ceilings. This space offers a floor area of around 70m² with two distinct rooms, as well as parts that you could reinvent.
The outbuildings
Beside the property’s entrance there is a long building with a turret dovecote at one end. This structure used to serve as a stable and cart shelter. It is made of brick and offers a floor area of around 80m². An old posthouse clock is fixed to its facade. The dovecote, which is made of stone and brick and is crowned with a polygonal roof, looks like a watchtower. Lower down in the grounds, there is a caretaker’s dwelling that needs to be renovated.
The grounds and meadow
The grounds are dotted with remarkable age-old trees. Clusters of rhododendrons and rose bushes punctuate the lawns. Fruit trees grow here too. The manor is reflected in an ornamental pond at the bottom of a gentle slope. On one side of the grand dwelling, there is a vast meadow where horses can be kept.
Our opinion
This grand dwelling, inspired by the Italian Renaissance and the baroque era, is a majestic Norman manor that stands proudly on a hillside in the Andaines forest. The harmony of its elevations is delightful. Its large windows are capped with finely sculpted faces. Inside, the hushed upper-middle-class ambience, from the marble fireplaces to the historical furniture, is ideal for hosting guests. The roof space could be converted. And the outbuildings, which lie a certain distance from the manor, are architecturally coherent and elegant. The lush grounds around the buildings include a splendid garden, a meadow for horses and an ornamental pond in which you can see the reflection of the tall trees.
570 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 841535
| Land registry surface area | 1 ha 66 a |
| Main building surface area | 300 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 100 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.
