A 16th-century manor house and its wooded garden in the Suisse Normande region, 15 minutes from Falaise - ref 160683
A 16th-century manor house and its wooded garden in the Suisse Normande region, 15 minutes from Falaise.
At the extremity of the Armorican Massif, the Suisse Normande region has picturesque, undulating landscapes. Alternating between hedged farmland and dense forest, punctuated by craggy, rocky mountains towering over multitudes of waterways, this land full of tradition is steeped in history and legend.
The Turgot manor house is located in Ussy, in the west of the Pays de Falaise. It is 15 minutes from Pont-d'Ouilly and 5 minutes from the market, shops and amenities in Potigny. The village is 45 km from the Côte de Nacre beaches and 220 km from Paris via the A13 motorway. It is just 30 minutes from Caen station, from which the train to Paris-Saint-Lazare takes two hours.
Opposite the imposing 12th-century church of Saint-Martin, a wrought-iron gateway adorned with fine lance-point balusters and flanked by a Caen stone pillar topped by a gendarme opens onto a tree-lined driveway. A courtyard and terrace surround the manor house, which has an adjoining outbuilding on one side. On the opposite side, a gate leads to the back of the property and the garden planted with hundred-year old trees.
The Turgot manorBuilt in the 16th century during the reign of Francis I, it is surrounded by a collection of trees gathered from all over the world by the Marquis de Turgot. Opposite the central avenue, the building reflects the French architectural classicism of the time it was built. It has two floors, with walls of fashioned from large dressed rubble stones covered in plaster. The window frames are made out of ashlar limestone. The gable roof is covered in blue slate and decorated with gable caps and gargoyles. There are three dormer windows topped by triangular pediments. Three stone chimney stacks stand out against the sky. The ashlar facade opposite is flanked by an octagonal Renaissance spur tower and dovecote.
The ground floor
From the terrace, the front door leads to a hallway with antique floral tiling. Opposite, a corridor is accessed via a glass door. The entrance hall leads to the dining room with an Art Nouveau tiled floor. A high bay with cross windows casts a soft glow over an Enjugerais marble mantelpiece set with modillions. The white ceiling is crowned with a delicate central rose. A door opens onto the vast living room. It is decorated with a fireplace with a carved oak mantel. Light floods in through large windows, and a patio door leads to the back garden. A double door opens onto a corridor. On the other side, the kitchen is tiled and lit by a high bay window. They are connected by a corridor. It leads to a study with access to the garden, a bedroom with parquet flooring, a storeroom and the lounge. An oak staircase with wrought-iron balustrades leads up to the second floor. Next to the living room, an arched door opens to the Renaissance tower. Inside there is a spiral staircase that leads up to the different floors and the attic.
The first floor
The staircase leads to the landing and a corridor with a shower room, toilet and six bedrooms. Solid oak parquet flooring covers the entire floor. The rooms are lit by bay windows with double-leaf wooden shutters, coordinated with Enjugerais marble fireplaces. The staircase leads to a fully convertible attic space.
The outhouse
The cellar adjoins the manor house. A staircase leads to the first floor, comprising of a large room with a French-style ceiling. An imposing stone fireplace is set against the rubble stone wall. The attic space above is fully convertible.
The garden
The garden and well cover over 3 800 m², and the garden is planted with rare tree species. In 1850, it was part of a major nursery of forest trees that were exported abroad. It has kept century-old trees and a wide variety of shrubs and plants.
