An 18th-century former hamlet and its breath-taking garden of more than one hectare, on the outskirts of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, in Normandy's Orne depart
An 18th-century former hamlet and its breath-taking garden of more than one hectare, on the outskirts of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, in Normandy's Orne department.
Within Normandy's Orne department, the property is located in Tessé-Frolay, a picturesque village neighbouring the renowned spa resort town of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, while the surrounding countryside alternates between rolling, wooded countryside and the Andaines Forest, perfect for hikes and relaxation. As for the region's heritage, characterised by a number of local constructions as well as the high-spirited architecture of the Belle Epoque, it is combined with a dynamic local economy, focused on tourism, agriculture and services.
In addition, local shops, green markets and medical infrastructures are accessible in a couple of kilometres, while Paris can be reached in two hours and forty minutes from the train station in Briouze, twenty minutes away. Lastly, Argentan and the A88 motorway are only forty minutes away, whereas the airports in Caen and Rennes are both less than two hours away.
This former hamlet, refurbished and combined into one single property, is accessible via a dirt lane bordered by an apple orchard, while the buildings themselves are organised around an asymmetrical courtyard and include a large main dwelling, composed of several different, seamlessly connected volumes, a second, smaller dwelling, which could be used as a holiday cottage or a guesthouse, a bakehouse and a former pigsty.
Facing east-west, the two-storey main dwelling features a pointed stone exterior on its courtyard side, which is, in turn, cadenced by wood-framed windows as well as dormers on its red tile roof. Behind, on the house's western side, glass double doors open on to a patio festooned with a grapevine as well as a garden planted with trees, providing unobstructed views overlooking a stream, the latter of which is traversable via a small bridge and winds its way through the garden, flowing over small waterfalls and irrigating aquatic vegetation, such as horsetails and reeds.
To the north of the courtyard, the bakehouse and pigsty, today converted into annexes with more practical uses, have preserved their original charm with their stone walls and tile roofs, while the independent holiday cottage, facing south, features a lintel etched with the year 1778 and is accessible from one side via a flight of steps blanketed with nasturtiums. Built out of stone, its exteriors, punctuated by windows providing plunging views of the property, are also topped with a flat tile roof.
Carpeted with meadows, woods and a meticulously maintained garden, planted with mature trees and flowerbeds, the property also includes a small artificial pond located towards the southern part of the grounds.
The Main DwellingComposed of three different volumes, its main section, accessible via the front door, juts out towards the courtyard, while, to the north, near the access lane, a small apse-shaped building is topped with a round hipped roof. To the south, the third section of the dwelling, set back slightly from the courtyard, is crowned with a flat tile roof cadenced by a series of windows, which create a kind of upstairs gallery, ending with a small balcony.
The ground floor
The front door opens on to a foyer, with granite flagstone floors and visible wooden joists, which provides access to a kitchen, a living room and a staircase to the first floor. As for the dual-aspect kitchen, it is equipped with a cooker and a wood-burning stove, set within a former fireplace, while, from here, a door opens on to a pantry, topped with visible wooden rafters, located in the apse-shaped room.
In addition, the living room, made up of two different spaces and separated by a couple of steps, opens on to the garden to the west via an immense picture window, whereas an impressive and ...
