A 17th-century manor house with a peaceful, 1977-m² garden,
in Mortain, in the south of the Manche area
in Mortain, in the south of the Manche area
Mortain-Bocage,
MANCHE
lower-normandy
50140
FR
Location
Mortain overlooks the undulating wooded Mortinais countryside in the south of the Manche area. The landscape has been shaped by rivers, natural waterfalls and granite relief. The area boasts remarkable architectural heritage such as the White Abbey, the Saint Evroult collegiate church or the legendary Pont du diable site (the devil’s bridge). The municipality possesses several convenience stores, a weekly market and everyday public services. Paris can be reached in 3 hours 15 minutes by train from the station in Vire, which is 24 kilometres away. Granville and the English Channel beaches are 1 hour away, while Mont Saint Michel is 50 minutes away.
Description
This manor house dates from the 17th as well as 18th centuries and is located in the upper part of the town near to its centre. The property is situated in a small, sloping street protected by tall trees, hidden behind a small wall and a gate flanked by two granite pillars. The front garden is laid out around a lawn in the guise of a small clearing. The garden to the rear overlooks the landscape of the plain stretching west towards Mont Saint Michel, which is visible when the weather is fair. The three-storey house has a front façade to the north made of shale, with granite window and door frames, topped by a slate, hipped roof, flanked by two tall chimney stacks. All the openings are fitted with solid wood shutters on the ground floor and louvred shutters on the first floor. Two elegant entrance doors lead to the reception rooms from the courtyard. The western gable end is covered with slate and hidden behind the foliage, while the eastern gable end is prolonged by a lean-to shaped construction. The rear façade to the south is covered with light yellow rendering with granite window and door frames repurposed from an older building. It has a different composition to the front façade and is punctuated by three vertical rows of windows, a central entrance door and two dormer windows, in the fashion of a 17th-century countryside manor house. At the entrance to the courtyard, a two-storey outbuilding houses a large garage.
The residence
The garden-level floor
The low ceiling height on this level reinforces its cosy feeling. On one side, the entrance opens into a small office, with a window looking out onto the front garden. Opposite, there is a dining room paved with terracotta tiles that leads to the rear garden via a door. At the end, there is a lounge with a black marble fireplace with two south facing windows looking onto the garden. From this space, a door leads to a hall where there is a lavatory and a staircase. After the dining room, there is a split-level kitchen separated by several steps. Lastly, a utility room is used as a scullery.
The first floor
The staircase climbs to a large landing, with a floor of period cement tiles, onto which light streams through a north facing window. On one side it leads to a first bedroom boasting a fireplace with a wooden mantelpiece. It also has a south facing window overlooking the garden. Next to it, there is a bathroom, also with a south facing window. At the end of the corridor, there is a second, larger bedroom, which is dual aspect and enjoys views of the front and rear gardens. It boasts a white marble fireplace on one of the walls, wide stripped wood flooring and built-in wardrobe space. At the end of one of the walls, a discrete door leads to a small attic room used for storage.
The second floor
This level is made up of the converted attic space. A long landing bathed in light via a skylight leads to the third and fourth bedrooms. They are modest in size but comfortable. Light streams into them through the south-facing dormer windows. Each bedroom also has convertible storage space.
The garage
This two-storey outbuilding at the entrance to the courtyard is surrounded by dense vegetation, with lush trees and shrubs. It fits naturally into the site and harmoniously combines stone masonry, traditional cob and facing made of wooden planks. Its very steep roof, dotted with skylights, is made of dark coloured slates and houses a spacious loft. There are two doors in the façade and the double-leaf one communicates with the garden level. The other on the upper floor provides external access to the first level, in addition to the inside staircase.
The garden
To the north, it is simple but has been carefully landscaped, set around a central lawn surrounded by a gravel drive and bordered by tall trees, such as magnolias, lime trees and bamboo. An imitation wood bench made out of cement, which was typical of the 1920s, adds a quirky touch. To the rear, the south-facing garden is set out around a lawn lined by old trees and shrubs, including fruit trees such as pear, plum and redcurrant. The lawn is also dotted with rosebushes, while the view stretches out over the landscape. When the weather is fine, to the west, the Mont Saint Michel appears between two hills on the horizon.
Our opinion
This 17th-century manor house, with its simple and elegant architecture, surrounded by a picturesque, flowery, tree-lined garden, is located in the heights of a small town in Normandy. On entering the property, the large outbuilding heralds the character of this property that is typical of the Mortain area. Inside the house, the living rooms are bathed in light and boast a cosy atmosphere. They are brimming with carefully preserved architectural details. As well as the addition of extra shower rooms, energy efficiency improvement work will make it possible to accommodate a large family seeking peace and quiet as well as authenticity.
Exclusive sale
215 000 €
Negotiation fees included
200 000 € Fees excluded
Forfait de 15 000 €
TTC at the expense of the purchaser
Reference 902241
| Land registry surface area | 1977 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 140 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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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.
