16th Century Farmhouse, Souce, Mayenne

Property Description

This glorious 4-bedroom farmhouse, dating back to the 16th Century, has been in the ownership of the same family for many years. The house is surrounded by about 5 acres of orchards and paddocks and has a cider press as well as many useful outbuildings including a second house for renovation.

The beautiful, historic stone house nestles in an informal garden setting, alongside a selection of character outbuildings and 2.5 acres of orchard, the whole surrounded by a further 2.5 acres of land with outbuildings a plenty. 
More land is available to purchase and details are available on request. 

The main property is built from local stone with a slate roof. Inside there is a galleried main living room with mezzanine, a wonderful living kitchen (41m²) with a stone corbelled fireplace, a showpiece of a master bedroom suite (41m²) with two double bed alcoves and an en suite shower room, a further bedroom, 2 further rooms, a family bathroom with two basins and a separate WC and with massive attic space above (56m²) which could be converted to further habitation, subject to Planning. Monumental stonework, beautiful parquet flooring and oak beams support the features and a superb patina enhances the quality of the whole structure of this beautiful dwelling. 

Outside, the old bake house contains a large bread oven, complete with a wooden dough trough you could bathe in and all the tools a baker would need to feed a medium-sized village. A delightful original stone and timber framed barn, originally a milking parlour, supports wisteria as it grows across to the dovecot. This building is currently used as an occasional games room. 

To the rear of the main house are terraces and covered areas for enjoying the outdoor life, a pizza oven and a barbecue, a vegetable garden and a 500m² barn. Other outbuildings include a double garage, a stone building containing the old cider barrels and a three-level old house to renovate consisting of a main room downstairs, 2 bedrooms and a cellar. There is also a stone cider press in the which appears to be in working order.

The 2.5 acres of orchard contain around 10 apple varieties and a number of other fruit trees and there are a further 2.5 acres of paddocks. 
Located in a gently undulating North Mayenne landscape, the property is 5km from Céaucé which has a good selection of shops and restaurants, 15km from the medieval town of Domfront and only 95km from Caen, Rennes and Le Mans. The St Malo and Caen ferry terminals are roughly equidistant and can each be reached in around 1 hour 40 minutes.

A house of this size and its substantial outbuildings has many potential uses, for example, to a collector of cars or antiques, a cider maker, an artisan or perhaps for the creation of a B&B or gîte business.


Location: Rural
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Receptions: 1
Habitable space: 163m² 
Plot size: 20,000m² (5 acres) approx
Distance to shops: 5 kms
Distance to airport: 140 kms (St Malo & Caen - 1hr 40 mins)


(Location shown on property portals is approximate.)

Please note:  All sizes and locations are approximate. La Résidence has made every effort to ensure that the details and photographs of this property are accurate and in no way misleading.  However, this information does not form part of a contract and no warranties are either given or implied.