An 18th-century manor, to restore, with outbuildings, equestrian amenities, and almost 4 ha of land, near the Swiss Norman region and Orne River basin
An 18th-century manor, to restore, with outbuildings, equestrian amenities, and almost 4 ha of land, near the Swiss Norman region and Orne River basin.
Renowned for its walking and bridal paths as well as its slopes that plummet towards the many meanders of the Orne River, the Pays d'Houlmes region is a picturesque and bucolic tableau, scattered with authentic Norman villages. As for the property, it is located 3 min from Ecouché-les-Vallées, a medieval village, former barony and fiefdom of the Kings of France and England, while its heritage and bygone splendour are due, in part, to the Orne and its tributaries, cadenced with pastures, shaly uplands and woods.
In addition, the village's downtown area features a number of local shops, lining its narrow streets, as well as a green market held every Friday morning, whereas the manor, only 10 min from the Argentan train station, providing service to the Paris-Montparnasse train station in less than 2 hrs, is 20 min from the A88 motorway and 1 hr from the D-Day beaches.
Fifteen minutes by foot from the village's downtown area, a small B road leads to the entrance of the estate, enclosed by a low schist wall, the latter of which is topped with a wrought-iron fence. As for the gate, flanked by stone pilasters topped with eye-brow-shaped capitals, it opens on to a grassy lane and a main courtyard that precedes the dwelling, while two other side entrances provide access to the outbuildings.
Owned by the Lemarchand des Lingeries family for more than a century (1745-1877), the property features a main dwelling, constructed in the 18th century, which was later extended with a one-storey lateral wing. Nestled within its garden, the three-storey dwelling, topped with an attic level, is crowned with an orange-colour flat tile hipped roof, punctuated by four chimney stacks, whereas its rubble stone exteriors are coated in plaster and its windows/doors are surrounded by ashlar limestone.
Cadenced by several vertical rows of large wood-framed casement windows/doors, two turrets, one round and the other square, decorate its courtyard-facing façade, while the manor's wing features pointed ashlar rubble stone exteriors, red brick window/door surrounds as well as a slate gable roof.
In addition, abutting the manor's lateral wing in the back, a perpendicular outbuilding has been turned into a guest accommodations and spa area, whereas the courtyard is flanked on either side by several outbuildings: on one side there is a caretaker's cottage, a cider press and cellars, and, on the other, stables, cowsheds, looseboxes, garages and agricultural storage buildings. Entirely surrounded by fenced-in horse pastures, the property also features, to the southeast of the manor, a garden with a lake and a washhouse.
The Manor
The ground floor
Accessible from the main courtyard, a wooden door, topped with a fanlight, opens on to a foyer and an oak staircase. On one side, the foyer provides access to a series of adjacent rooms, including a dual-aspect living room with tall windows, chevron parquet floor and a massive fireplace, followed by a sitting room, dining room, kitchen and lavatory, while a second oak staircase safeguarded by a wrought-iron banister also ascends to the house's upper levels.
On the other side of the foyer, a half-timbered drawing room provides access to the manor's wing, which contains a storeroom, boiler room, living room, bedroom with a bathroom, as well as, in the back, an immense spa area with large picture windows, two small pools and a large pool-jacuzzi.
The first floor
Featuring original terracotta floor tiles, the first-floor landing is bathed in light by tall windows, whereas the rest of the level boasts parquet floors and includes five bedrooms, three bathrooms, as well as a service staircase.
The second floor
Accessible via the oak ...
