A splendid 19th-century house with a 900m² garden, nestled in the town of Flers, beside a natural area of Normandy nicknamed "Norman Switzerland" - re
A splendid 19th-century house with a 900m² garden, nestled in the town of Flers, beside a natural area of Normandy nicknamed "Norman Switzerland".
The property lies in the historical town of Flers in Normandy. In the surrounding countryside, the River Orne's tributaries snake around Normandy's beautiful Pays du Houlme province from the heights of Andaine forest. Chateaux, churches and priories bear witness to the rich past of the local region's former lords. Flers is officially recognised for its attractive greenery and high quality of life. The town includes a wealth of built heritage and draws visitors. It offers shops and a popular market with an abundance of fresh produce. The house stands one kilometre from the town's 16th-century chateau, the elevations of which are reflected in the River Vère, which flows into the chateau's moat. There is a train station only five minutes away. From there, you can reach central Paris by rail in just 2 hours and 20 minutes. A slip road onto the A88 motorway lies 30 minutes away. And the Normandy landing beaches are only an hour from the property.
The edifice was built in the 19th century. It has a basement, a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in the roof space. It is crowned with a hipped mansard roof covered with slate tiles and punctuated with dormers. Two chimney stacks rise up from the roof. Rubble granite and schist with pointing form the elevations. Finely carved granite ashlar forms the many door and window surrounds. On one side of the house, a wrought-iron gate leads to a tree-dotted garden that faces south-west, behind the dwelling. At the bottom of the garden, there is a lean-to shed and a garage. From there, a gate leads out onto a calm, narrow street.
The house
The ground floor
An entrance door beneath a fanlight leads into a spacious hallway with a floor of beautiful cement tiles painted with an art nouveau floral motif. Dado panelling with fine mouldings add depth and elegance to this hallway. Straight ahead, a double door leads to a spiral oak staircase with sculpted wrought-iron balusters. These stairs lead upstairs and down to the basement. A glazed door leads out to the garden. On one side, the hallway connects to a lounge with a dining area. There is a fireplace in one wall of this lounge. Tall windows bathe this dual-aspect space in natural light and brighten up its parquet flooring. Refined mouldings embellish the ceiling. On the other side of the hallway, there is a tiled kitchen filled with natural light from a large window. Beside this kitchen, there is an office with herringbone parquet. Wooden panelling adorns the walls and there is a cast-iron radiator.
The first floor
The spiral staircase winds up to a landing filled with natural light from a tall window. This first floor has three bedrooms, a bathroom and a utility room. The bedrooms are bathed in natural light from windows. They feature finely sculpted marble fireplaces. Wood strip flooring extends across the bedrooms.
The second floor
The second floor has sloping attic ceilings and oak flooring. A landing connects to three bedrooms, a shower room and a walk-in wardrobe. Tall windows fill the bedrooms with soft light.
The garden
A garden extends to the south-west, behind the house. It has a neat lawn and shrubs and trees of different varieties. A vegetable patch lies beside a lean-to shed. At the far end, a double garage leads out onto a calm, narrow street.