CastleAlençon (61)

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Surface1,800 m²bedrooms26 land175 ha

Ref.4288 : Situated in Normandy, in the south of the Orne département, at the forefront of the Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park, this elegant property enjoys a privileged rural setting, nestling between civilisation and nature.
The Ecouves forest, a natural area of more than 8,000 hectares of state-owned land, with its varied relief and expanses of centuries-old oak and beech trees, where flora and fauna live in perfect harmony; wild waterways, ponds... this is the exceptional setting that Lonray can make its own forever. A benevolent setting, a source of serenity... and well-being!
The prefecture of the Orne department, Alençon, with its 25,000 inhabitants, remains a major administrative and economic centre, with all the shops and services you need for everyday life less than 2 leagues away. As a recognised communications hub, road, motorway and rail links are just a few minutes away, providing easy access to the capital, among other places.
THE CHATEAU : Inspired by Flemish and Italian art, the château's balanced west facade comprises a massive main building in white stone, flanked by two more refined brick wings.
Walls and pilasters enhance the bareness of the surfaces and support the balconies; the very high slate roofs are enhanced by bull's eye dormers, and the quadrangular chimneys with curved pediments contribute to a lighter appearance.
The cross-headed windows are slender and high, with wooden frames, arranged in regular bays and topped with pediments or carved keys.
A generous stone staircase with balusters invites guests to discover the secrets of the Louis XIII style....
With approx. 1,800sqm of living space, the castle is distributed as follows:
Garden level: full cellar including the former kitchens, souillarde, boiler room, machine room and numerous storage rooms.
Ground floor:
Entrance via the vestibule (50 sqm), mosaic floor, decorated ceiling and walls, ceiling height: 5.40 m.
On the left-hand side, access to the current kitchen and its pantry, stairway leading to the cellars.
Madame's’ bedroom (48 sqm), adjoining a toilet, richly painted and decorated ceiling, remarkable arched door, elegant wood panelling.
Dining room (72sqm) with full wood panelling and Versailles parquet flooring, consoles, monumental mirror, ornate marble fireplace, 18th century ‘hunting’ themed décor (optional purchase), bronze espagnolettes and period fittings, HSP: 5 m.
Large library (116sqm) with room for thousands of books, 5.20 m high, scalloped marble fireplace with trumeau, Versailles parquet flooring. The grand salon (112sqm), double aspect, Versailles parquet flooring, fully decorated, painted frieze and ceiling, marble fireplace with antique Pompeian decorations, consoles with monumental mirrors.
Access to the south and east terraces. MH listing (21 July 2000). Height: 5.16 m.
Straight staircase with several flights, suspended, designed around a central void, with classy wrought iron handrail.
1st floor:
A long central gallery leads to 11 bedrooms on either side, 4 of which have direct access to a bathroom/shower room or a single water point. A separate bathroom is reserved for the other bedrooms.
Each room is of varying sizes and has a fireplace, usually with parquet or carpet flooring. Some have wood panelling, sometimes painted. All have uninterrupted views to the four cardinal points. The landing gives access to a small, intimate chapel of great beauty, where an imposing billiard table now takes pride of place.
2nd floor:
A back staircase leads up to the second floor, where around fifteen smaller bedrooms have yet to be refurbished.
If need be, the attic still offers many possibilities....
THE HARAS :
The history of gallop racing begins as you enter the long driveway leading to the stables of the Lonray stud farm.
The stud farm was created in 1863 by the Duc de Morny, Napoleon III's half-brother and creator of the seaside resort of Deauville and its racecourse.
Shortly afterwards, the Lonray stud was bought by Count Jacques le Marois, who gave his name to Europe's finest inter-generational race over the mile.
Lonray is eminently suitable for horse-breeding, with its gently undulating terrain, excellent quality meadows, abundant springs and proximity to the Ecouves forest, which, at an altitude of 150 to 200 m, provides a highly protective climatic curtain.
The facades and roofs of the steward's house and adjoining stables, as well as the facades and roofs of the ‘Jumenterie’, were listed as historic monuments on 14 December 1999.
The stud has 47 stalls, divided between the Jumenterie (22 stalls) and various buildings scattered across the 118 acres (48 hectares) of adjoining meadows.
3 lodgings, including the manager's house, are located in the immediate vicinity of the horses.
A 1,200-metre track to be rehabilitated in the woods and a walker complete the infrastructure.
The stud farm comprises 48 ha of meadows, most of which are enclosed by wooden lices.
Mare: approx. 100 m long, built of brick with a tiled roof, it includes a frontage with 20 stalls, a machine room, a polling booth, a storage room with shower and toilet, the caretaker's house and a barn for storing straw (adjoining 2 pellet silos). There are 3 additional boxes at the rear of the building.
Stalls (front) 5x4m, concrete floor, drinking trough and feed trough, water and electricity. Roof and doors to be reviewed.
Stalls (rear): 1 measuring 6.50 x 4 m and 2 measuring 5 x 4 m, breezeblock under fibreglass roof.
Manager's house: rendered stone, tiled roof - brick surround windows. Approx. 120 sqm (1,292 sq ft). Vaulted cellar. Ground floor: living room, kitchen, lounge, bedroom. Ceiling height: 3.10 m. 1st floor: landing, corridor, 3 bedrooms, shower room-wc. 2nd floor: central landing room and 2 small attics.
Double-glazed front door frames / rear door frames to be replaced / Heating by CHAPPEE oil-fired boiler (old) / Tiled floor, terracotta floor tiles on the ground floor / Floors on the upper floors / Restoration work essential / Electricity with independent meter (LINKY).
APPENDIX: attractive half-timbered building comprising accommodation on the first floor and 3 ground-level loose boxes (4.90 m x 4 m). A suite of 6 adjoining lockers (4x4 m), opening on to a courtyard (25 x 15 m), enclosed by walls (2 m).
STRAW HANGAR: metal structure canopy, under mechanical tile roof (15x8m + extension).
WALKER: covering structure to be reviewed.
STALLS 1: separate brick building under tiled roof with 3 stalls (5x4m) - Car drinking troughs - Electricity.
ECURIES 2: brick building under tiles comprising 6 boxes (5x4m) - Gutters out of order.
STORAGE 3 : brick building with 7 stalls (5x4m) - good roof.
THE FARM :
Situated at the entrance to the estate on the west side, the château's farm is a fine example of a building complex, attested to by a Historic Monument registration order dated 14th December 1999.
The farm dates from the 18th century, and predates the stud farm.
Built around a courtyard planted with trees, with several tiled stone buildings, some used for horse breeding, others for living quarters, this surprisingly large complex bears witness to a glorious past in which professionalism left no room for doubt.
The livestock building is of an impressive size (around 150 m), and includes a remarkable barn used as a riding arena. Stables, garages (vans/carriages), workshop, woodshed, fruit barn, stabling, office, storage area, etc. complete the space.
The stables house around thirty loose boxes.
Two dwellings, one of which is a 3-storey building, are currently the subject of a lease.
Two other flats are still available.
THE ORANGERIE :
An extension of the farm, through a hidden passageway, leads to the Orangerie estate.
You can make out the former kitchen garden, now overgrown with lawn due to lack of maintenance.
A pretty and surprising brick pavilion gives access to a large formal garden, where boxwood and topiary set the scene for an elegant circular stone pool.
An imposing Italian-inspired orangery, with a flat roof and cubic design, gives the size and scale of each parcel of the estate, where nothing has been overlooked...
The facades and roofs of the orangery, its enclosing wall, the vegetable garden gate and the large central greenhouse were listed as Historic Monuments by decree on 14 December 1999.
A former tennis court follows... . if the fences are still standing, you can expect some false bounces!
A large fruit tree reminds us that we are in Normandy...
Finally, we leave the orangery and enter the château grounds through a most elegant gate set against a low stone wall and enhanced by the addition of 2 brick pillars at either end, resembling turrets, topped by a gigantic Medici vase. Italian inspiration again....
ACCOMMODATIONS :
There are 11 dwellings throughout the estate, most of which are rented out.
All are unique in their kind, varying in size and offering varying degrees of comfort.
The most emblematic and remarkable is undoubtedly the former guard's house, known as the ‘hunting lodge’, which looks like a miniature Norman villa. It also boasts a pretty tower!
Most of these houses are located at the entrances to the estate, providing a degree of security if required.
THE PONY CLUB :
So named to designate its former equestrian vocation, it is no longer in operation today. Under its rental status, it still houses a few boxes for ponies, a covered riding arena and a career.
A pleasant dwelling adjoins the farm buildings and the 3.70 acres (1.5 hectares) specified in the lease.
The Lonray estate extends over 432 acres (175 hectares), most of it in a single block:
98 acres (40 hectares) directly adjoining the château, making up ‘the park’ ;
91 acres (37 hectares) of farmland ;
118 acres (48 hectares) of grassland used for stud purposes;
123 acres (50 hectares) of woodland under a simple management plan drawn up for a period of 15 years (2019-2033).
The estate as a whole has a flat landscape that is particularly easy to drive around, thanks to the many driveways and paths that criss-cross it in all directions. The alternating meadows and wooded areas offer unobstructed views. The thoughtful layout of the dwellings and farm buildings means that there are no overlooking views of the château or its immediate surroundings. On the other hand, the uninterrupted view over the Ecouves forest is extremely valuable and contributes to the exceptional character of this property. There are no visual, olfactory or auditory nuisances to disturb the daily life of a property so close to civilisation.
All the tree species are represented (plane trees, lime trees, chestnut trees, oak trees and ash trees), most of which are hundred-year-old heirs to the creation of the park in 1860. The entire estate is enclosed by stone walls and has 3 main entrances: château and farm/haras/pony club.
The estate is home to sedentary and transient wildlife, which is eligible for a hunting plan (3 roe deer and 1 young stag or doe).
Cabinet LE NAIL - Lower-Normandy - Mr Eric DOSSEUR : +33 (0)2... Eric DOSSEUR, Individual company, registered in the Special Register of Commercial Agents, under the number 409 867 ... . We invite you to visit our website Cabinet Le Nail to browse our latest listings or learn more about this property.