A chateau from the 17th and 18th centuries, listed as a regional Historical Monument, on 25-hectare grounds, near the town of Craon - ref 584386
A chateau from the 17th and 18th centuries, listed as a regional Historical Monument, on 25-hectare grounds, near the town of Craon.
The property is located in the south of the Mayenne department and the middle of the greater Pays de la Loire region, a few kilometres from the historical towns of Craon, Château-Gontier and Vitré. Known for their rich heritage and dolce vita, these three cities also include all shops and services essential for daily life, while the surrounding countryside, with its rolling wooded landscape crisscrossed by small rivers, is renowned for both hunting and eco-tourism.
In addition, by car, Craon, Vitré and Château-Gontier are 15, 31 and 32 minutes away, respectively, whereas the high-speed rail station in Laval is 40 minutes away and Angers is just a little over an hour away. Lastly, the city of Nantes and its international airport can be reached in just over 1.5 hours.
To the east, a lane provides access, from a B road, to the chateau's courtyard, surrounded by many outbuildings as well as a small pond. Built around 1710 by one of the oldest families of Mayenne, the rectangular dwelling is built out of lime plaster-coated rubble stone and features four storeys, one of which is the basement level, while its top level is used as an attic.
As for the main façade, facing south, it features a classic exterior with tuffeau stone quoins, stringcourses and cornice, whereas the central forepart, slightly recessed, is topped with an impressive semi-circular pediment. To the north, a 17th-century building abuts the dwelling, while the chateau overlooks an enclosed square-shaped garden to the south, the view of which is extended by a tree-lined lane that provides access to a small gate and bridge.
In addition, to the west there is a vegetable garden as well as a bridal path, also listed as a regional Historical Monument, which is lined with multi-century oaks, whereas the outskirts of the dwelling and its outbuildings are entirely surrounded by trees and farmland, scattered here and there with hedgerows.
The Chateau
The ground floor
An entrance hall, with a terracotta tile floor, provides access to the stairwell as well as the main living areas on this level. With floor-to-ceiling heights of nearly 4 metres throughout, on one side of the entrance hall is a series of rooms, including a dining room with plaster crown moulding, a sitting room topped with visible ceiling beams, as well as a consecrated chapel crowned with a coffered ceiling, which all feature wood panelled walls as well as square Versailles-style parquet floor panels and wooden or marble fireplaces.
As for the other side of the entrance hall, a room known as "the small sitting room" with a wooden fireplace, wainscoting and a straight-plank hardwood floor, stands next to an adjacent kitchen with a terracotta tile floor and a large fireplace with a granite lintel in which a modern cast-iron wood-burning stove was installed. In addition, most of these rooms face south and communicate, to the north, with smaller rooms located in the chateau's 17th-century wing, which is also accessible from the entrance hall and stairwell. This wing includes a study and a library, both with fireplaces, a utility room as well as a wooden service staircase, while a lavatory was created in the stairwell.
The upstairs
The formal wooden staircase, safeguarded by a balustrade, opens on to a large landing, which communicates with five bedrooms with primarily straight-plank hardwood floors and non-working tuffeau stone or marble fireplaces: three large ones, two of which have an alcove, a smaller one with a terracotta tile floor and, lastly, the final bedroom, preceded by an antechamber and a study, which abuts a bathroom with a terracotta tile floor.
The attic
Extending lengthwise over the entire building and featuring a floor ...
