For sale Castle Angers (49000)

Réf. 4482: For sale near Angers, magnificent 15th and 17th C. listed château.

Situated in the heart of the Haut-Anjou region, in the Loire Valley, this exceptional château is surrounded by a moat, around thirty kilometres north of Angers, in Maine-et-Loire. Set in the heart of a 171.25 acres estate, this property is easily accessible from the main roads. Angers (population 160.000) is a 35-minute drive away. This town, capital of the Anjou region, has all the shops and services you need (university hospital, universities, TGV station with links to Paris in 1 hour). The town centre is magnificent, winding through the narrow streets of the historic town centre, shaped by the imposing silhouette of its 13th-century castle, and brightened up by the parks and gardens in the heart of the town. What's more, the town has been awarded the title of France's leading green town and is a great place to live. In other words: the ‘gentle Angevine’. The A11 motorway is 25 km away, providing a 330 km link to Paris. A small town 8 km away offers all the shops and services you need.

The castle is surrounded by a moat spanned by a stone bridge. A châtelet flanked by two round towers defends the entrance, giving access to 3 courtyards enclosed by outbuildings: the main courtyard, the forecourt and the lower courtyard. To the south are the gardens and the fishpond. At the end of the main courtyard, in the extension of the châtelet, stands the dwelling.

The original dwelling was built in the splendour of the Renaissance period in the
15th and 16th centuries, then extended in the 17th and 18th centuries to in
clude the main building, which was "refurbished" around 1850, and a wing set
at right angles to it. This ensemble forms the main dwelling, which comprises :
Ground floor: entrance hall (30 sqm) in the corner between the
between the main dwelling and the wing:
On the left: dining room (49.3 sqm), lounge (58 sqm), lounge in the Renaissance-
style dwelling (57 sqm), small lounge (25 sqm) in the former guards' room, toilet
and wash-hand basin (10 sqm), library (14 sqm) and pantry (5 sqm);
On the right: study (18 sqm), kitchen (53 sqm), second kitchen (18 sqm), pantry (9
sqm), various back rooms;
Opposite: stairwell, woodshed, boiler room, toilet and wash-hand basin.
The first floor is accessed by a large stone staircase and a wooden spiral staircase in the tower of the Renaissance dwelling: 9 bedrooms (from 19 to 27 sqm), 2 dressing rooms (9 and 18 sqm), 5 bathrooms, 4 shower rooms, one with a sauna, 2 wc and wash-hand basin.
Attic space above.
In the wing at right angles, spread over three levels: vast games room 150 sqm games room, former cellars, home cinema (22 seats) and adjoining kitchen, 7 bedrooms, 6 shower rooms, a large study, 7 wc and wash-hand basin, other rooms. The reception rooms feature attractive floors: oak parquet flooring, terracotta tiles or flagstones; and attractive decorations: wood panelling, trumeaux, stone or marble fireplaces, painted joist ceilings. The volumes are very generous: the main living rooms are spacious, with joist heights of over 3.7 metres. This is one of the great historic châteaux of Haut-Anjou, combining the comfort of adjoining rooms with double exposure and the character of a Renaissance dwelling.

Outbuildings :
A truly autonomous place over the centuries, the property still has all the outbuildings that once enlivened this ancient seigneury. They are laid out around the castle, within the enclosure formed by the moat. They include :
A/ A magnificent 16th century entrance châtelet, flanked by two pepper-pot towers, comprising a carriage entrance and a small pedestrian gateway once fitted with a portcullis and drawbridge. It comprises an upper room and two towers, one of which houses the staircase. Above the carriage entrance, in a rectangular frame, is a statue of a goddess surmounted by the warrior motto ‘Vincit Omnia Pallas’. The upper crown features a shield with a cross patté argent on a sable background.
B/ In the southern extension of the châtelet, the outbuildings include: a former 3-room dwelling and a stable and saddlery room.
C/ In the north and then west extension of the châtelet, an L-shaped group of outbuildings, flanked by two pepperbox corner towers, comprises:
- A vast two-room workshop spanning a total of approx. 150 sqm that could be used as a meeting or reception room;
- Several stables and sheds, including a bread oven and a dovecote;
- A 5-room caretaker's cottage with gas central heating.
D/ Close to the dwelling is a pretty chapel dedicated to Saint Sébastien, which has preserved its interior decoration. Founded in 1526, it was remodelled in the 19th century. It has a sacristy.
E/ Near the second entrance porch to the north-west, pigsties.
F/ Outside the enclosure :
- A second caretaker's cottage with living room, two bedrooms and bathroom;
- A kennel;
- A small stone building on an island bordering the river.
The château is set in the centre of its estate, in a single block. It is reached by a majestic avenue of plane trees planted over 300 m, from east to west. The estate spans 176.15 acres, and is made up of various types of land. To the north, it is bordered for almost a kilometre by a pretty river. The land is criss-crossed by driveways radiating out from the château, leading to :
Meadows and open moorland (116.14 acres);
Woodlands (29.65 acres) comprising oak, coniferous and poplar trees;
2.22 acres of pond.

The following parts are listed on the Inventory of Historic Monuments
« The whole of the château with its enclosure, as well as the large planted avenues surrounding it (cad. B 235 (moat), 236 to 238 (gardens), 239 to 242 (château buildings and outbuildings), 514, 234 (old avenue), 257 (avenue), 243 (part of avenue), 280 (19th avenue), 248 (north avenue)): listed by order of 1998. »
This property is a historic monument (allowing fiscal tax cuts if you pay taxes in France).

Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available at: www.georisques.gouv.fr