A 17th-century manor, with a dovecote, outbuildings, pond and moats, on an event estate of nearly five hectares, ten minutes from Saumur - ref 352208
A 17th-century manor, with a dovecote, outbuildings, pond and moats, on an event estate of nearly five hectares, ten minutes from Saumur.
In the Maine-et-Loire department, within the greater Pays de la Loire region, the property is located in a town of approximately 3,000 people, nestled between the verdant Authion valley and the Breille-les-Pins forest, while, ten minutes away on foot, the town's downtown area includes a number of local shops and services.
In addition, Saumur, a ten-minute car drive away, has been recognised as a "City of art and history" with its iconic chateau, lively quays and weekly green market, whereas, the property is also immediately accessible from the A85 motorway, which makes it possible to reach Angers in 40 minutes and Tours in less than an hour. Last, but not least, Paris can be reached in two hours by train and three hours and fifteen minutes via automobile.
From the town's outskirts, a gravel lane leads to an impressive wrought-iron gate, flanked by two horse chestnut trees and framed by two rusticated stone pilasters, topped with Medici flowerpots. Rectangular in shape, the three-storey former manor house was built out of tuffeau stone, crowned with a slate roof and features exteriors cadenced by a number of windows topped with a variety of different arches: semi-circular, basket handle or lintel, while dormers, with either triangular or hipped roofs, punctuate both sides of the roof.
In addition, an ashlar stone dovecote, placed at a right angle to the west, is flanked on either side by two ironwork conservatories and boasts a hipped roof, bull's-eye windows as well as a small, openwork lantern-turret, whereas, to the north, two barns close off the courtyard, including one which is currently used to hold receptions.
With the original noble dwelling located to the south, another edifice, slightly set back to the northwest, contains two holiday accommodations and two garages, while the grounds, structured by moats, are laid out around a pond and an orchard to the north, as well as a formal yew garden, which is, in turn, extended by a tennis court to the southwest.
HistoryThe former fiefdom with its noble dwelling, mentioned as of 1440, once belonged to Jean Nicolas, René of Anjou's master goldsmith, as well as his wife, Jeanne de Laval, while several generations of the Maupassant family also lived here, including Léon Nau de Maupassant, who was mayor of Saumur in the 19th century.The Manor House
The ground floor
The dwelling's entrance hall provides access, on one side, to a kitchen with a flat stone sink and a tuffeau stone fireplace, which has been fitted with a wood-fired cook stove. This room abuts a pantry and a storeroom, while, on the other side of the entrance hall, a dining room gives on to the living room. These two dual-aspect rooms, with pointed stone walls, visible ceiling beams and terracotta floor tiles, provide access to the courtyard to the north as well as the garden to the south, whereas the living room is heated with a wood-burning stove installed within its fireplace.
Extending on from the latter is a study, a bedroom with a shower room, as well as a lavatory, while the first floor is accessible from either a service staircase, located next to the study, or a straight tuffeau stone staircase with slate steps, which can be found in the entrance hall.
The first floor
An interior walkway, running alongside the garden-facing side of the manor, provides access to all the rooms on this floor, such as an initial dual-aspect bedroom with a Louis XIV-style fireplace and a bathroom, followed by a bedroom with a shower room and lavatory, as well as a dual-aspect sitting room, giving on to a balcony, located directly opposite the property's main entrance gate and ...
