A 16th-century manor, its outbuildings and 10-hectare grounds, nestled within the countryside of the Guérande peninsula - ref 824026
A 16th-century manor, its outbuildings and 10-hectare grounds, nestled within the countryside of the Guérande peninsula.
Located between the Brière regional natural park and the ocean, the medieval city of Guérande overlooks the surrounding saltmarshes that stretch as far as the eye can see. Experiencing its golden age at end of the Middle Ages, several fiefdoms were established around the city's outskirts at that time, including this property, which is fifteen minutes from the high-speed train station in La Baule-Escoublac, providing service to Paris in three hours, approximately one hour from the Nantes-Atlantique airport and ten kilometres away from the closest beaches.
Along a secondary road bordered by trees, a gate marks the entrance to the property. From a car park, a drive leads to the main courtyard, around which the buildings are grouped, whereas the estate itself was originally built for a lord from the Guérande peninsula and was modified and adapted over the centuries in several different stages: the dwelling's central building was extended in the 17th century, a floor was added atop the right-angle wing in the 18th century, before being renovated and modernised in the early 2000s.
To the east, the 16th-century main dwelling features two storeys as well as an attic level, while the central building and its right-angle wing create an L-shaped ensemble, connected by a staircase tower tucked into its interior angle. Topped with gable roofs, each building features a visible gable end, whereas the dwelling's extension to the south is topped with a hipped roof. As for the two parallel 17th-century outbuildings to the north, they are accessible from a second entrance in the back.
In addition, a path between the manor and the outbuildings leads to a private garden, whereas the grounds are enclosed by walls, thick hedges as well as tall trees, which help shelter the property from view. Lastly, the property's woods extend over approximately eight hectares on the other side of the country road.
The ManorInside, a meticulous renovation succeeded in highlighting the manor's breath-taking details, like its floors, which feature noble materials such as terracotta tiles on the ground floor and renovated, ancient hardwood floors on the upper levels. As for the ceilings, many rooms feature visible ceiling beams, nicely showcased against a white background, whereas all of the interior and exterior wooden frames for its doors and windows are painted a deep dark red, somewhere between carmine and brown, which strikes a pleasant balance between understated elegance and bucolic aesthetics. In addition, this shade contrasts perfectly with the light grey granite stone of its exteriors and helps underscore its many windows and doors.
The ground floor
Once past the front door, the entrance hall reveals its soaring floor-to-ceiling height and provides access, on one side, to a kitchen, the stove of which was installed within a former fireplace, while a hidden door opens on to a pantry and another provides direct access to a covered outdoor dining area.
On the other side of the entrance hall, a living room is bathed in light thanks to a large small-paned window to the west, whereas the entire room is focused around its massive fireplace, impressive due to its size and understated décor. Featuring a faux-mantel made up of a straight lintel, carved out of a single block of granite with a bush-hammered finish and supported by subtly moulded corbels, above, a relieving arch, clad in ashlar stone, helps highlight the stonework and underlines the width of the hearth, while the chimney hood, lighter in colour, is decorated in the middle with a moulded rectangular panel, which must have been reserved for the family's coat of arms.
On the same wall, a small inconspicuous door opens on to a study, located in the ...
