Vintiquing in THE PERCHE

Second only to Isle sur la Sorgue in terms of antiques, this idyllic région of France deserves to befar hetter known

F E A T U R E NATASHA G O O D F E L L O W

i \ / here?' said everyone when I told them I was going to the Perche in France. Snuggled in and around the southernmost

tip of Normandy and spared the ravages of war normally associated with the région, the Perche might be unl^nown here, but Parisians are only too wise to its natural, bucolic charms.

For the past 20 or so years, come le weekend, theyVe been hopping in their cars and pootling southwestwards, drawn by the area's abundant forests, unspoilt countryside and excellent shopping. Indeed, practically the entire région is a natural park, so the view from your window as you explore wil l be of frothy cow parsley, thigh-high buttercups and the mesmerising trails of the wind through wheatfields like fingers over velvet.

You'll see horses, too - lots of them. Traditionally a war and draft horse, the local Percheron (which can weigh up to a tonne) disappeared from the fields during the 1950s and 1960s, when tractors replaced them. Today, though, their massive forms and dappled grey

coats are back - the resuit of a successful breeding programme - and they can often be seen puUing carriages through the lanes.

The area's rich farmland gave rise to wealthy farmers, many of whom built the fortified manor houses that still dot the région. As they've been bought and sold, so their paintings and furniture have found their way into the area's local antiques and interiors shops - as stylish and 'bobo' (bourgeois/bohème) as any in Paris. You'll find thèse boutiques in the most unexpected of settings, but be sure to stop by La Perrière, where you'll find a beautiful, wisteria-clad restaurant, tearoom, brocante and gallery. Bellême, too, with its 15th-century gatehouse, straw-yellow town hall and swans paddling in the fountain, wi l l amuse the pickiest browser. And don't miss Mortagne-au-Perche, a pretty little town you can walk around in an hour - except on a Saturday, when the world and his wife visit the market to squeeze tomatoes, taste olives and stock up on local delicacy boudin noir (black pudding). Then it's off for lunch - and some serious vintiquing.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T

The imper ious La Chape l l e -M o n t l i g e o n t owers over t h e s u r r o u n d i n g c o u n t r y s i d e ; boudin noir (a t y p e of blacl( p u d d i n g ) is a local spec ia l i ty ; t he idy l l ic c o u r t y a r d at La Ma ison d ' H o r b é ; é légant horsep lay at t he nat ional s t u d , Haras du Pin; w i th its w i n d y s t ree ts and cu te b o u t i q u e s , Be l l ême is one of t he most pho togen ic t o w n s in t h e rég ion ; t he bus t l i ng Saturday mo rn i ng marke t in M o r t a g n e - a u - P e r c h e ; t h e t o w n hall in M o r t a g n e -au-Perche dates back t o t he l 8 t h c e n t u r y

EATING AND DRINKING The Parisian visitors' demand for local, tradit ional produce has ensured that the Perche has a thriving foodie culture.

• L A M A I S O N D ' H O R B É

La Grande Place, La Perrière; lamaisorxdhorbe.com Relax among the climbing hydrangeas and scented roses in the sunny courtyard of this shop-cum-tearoom, with a delicious homemade tarte au citron and gourmet tea from a silver pot.

• B I S T R O T D E S E C U R I E S

La Grande Maison, Boissy-Maugis; bistrot-des-ecuries.com A three-course meal for €17 is outstanding value, especially when the cooking is of this quality. O r you could just p lump for a glass of wine f rom the 70-strong wine list.

• L E S P I E D S D A N S L ' E A U

Chemin de la Folle Entreprise, Saint-Langis-lès-Mortagne The address of this restaurant translates roughiy as ' the path of the mad undertaking', and

it certainly seems so as you drive down a rural lane that seems to lead nowhere. Keep on going, though, and you'll come to a charming restaurant overlooking a Iake.

• C H A R L E S B A T A I L L E

74 Blvd Bansard des Bois, Bellême; charles-bataille-chocolatier.e-monsite.com Parisians come to this renowned chocolatier for the macarons, which some say are better than Ladurée (they're certainly cheaper).

142 H & A MAY 2013

THE PERCHE'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS

Where to go for Napoléon III napkins, vintage apple crates and fabulons fabrics

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F r a n ç o i s N O Q E N T -

L E - R O T R O U

ROUTE DE BROC If you're serious about your broc (as antiques in need of love loosely translates), plan a couple of hours on the route dépar tementa le 923 (red route, above), south-west of Nogent-le-Rotrou. In the space of a few ki lomètres, nine or lO dealerships - some of them vast centres - line the road. We loved the Village de Brocante du Val D'Huisne (Thurs-Sun) - ful l of attractive meubles de métiers, including a marble barber's sink and, on our visit, a table f rom the water-therapy centre in Vichy - and the Kaluka brocante, where you could pick up linen sheets for €5 , four 1950s chairs for € 5 0 and a six-bott le wine carr ier for €12.

O LE GRAND CERF 29 Rue Sainte-Croix, Morfagne-au-Perche; legrandcerf.com You can tell that Stéphanie

Cluzel has a passion for fabrics.

Everywhere you look in her

atmospher ic shop - a former

hôtel - you'l l find things you

want to touch. There are

Napoléon III napkins, vintage

tea towels. Provençal boutis,

toi le de Jouy and cute vintage

fabr ic to i le t ry bags (€32).

An old rocking chair wrapped

in fabric and knit ted-effect

ceramics adds a quirky touch.

O STÉPHANIE MAYEUX 5 Rue des Déportés, Mortagne-au-Perc/ie At lOam on a Saturday morning,

Stéphanie Mayeux's doors

have barely been open two

minutes and aiready she's

doing a roaring t rade. Outside,

a massive dining table set for

12 makes you want to sit down

and crack open some wine

right there, whi le decorators'

ladders, apple crates and

enormous glass jars are just

the kinds of pièces that have

us Brits planning our escape

f rom the rat race ' toot sweet'.

O GABRIELLE FEUILLARD 6 Rue Ville C/ose, Bellême There's a romance to Antony

Adam's shop, which is tucked

into the stone walls of Bellême's

15th-century watchtower.

It might be the setting, or the

fact that it's named after his

grandmother. O r it might be

the way he mixes fresh flowers

- peonies, ranunculas and old

roses - wi th pret ty displays

of soaps, ti les, art isan-made

bi rd cages and impossibly

144 H&A MAY 2013

H&A VINTIQUING

squashy cushions and qui l ts.

The resuit is part- f lor ist , part-

inter iors shop, part-cur iosi ty

cabinet - ail utter ly seduct ive.

O METAMORPHOSE 70 Rue Ville C/ose, Bellême Interesting pièces of wood

(think vintage milking stools

and wooden amulets), métal

objets and owner Jean-Luc

Gonsard's extraordinary

upcycled l ighting put this shop

into a class of its own. His

signature garland lights - made

wi th four or five éléments, f rom

old colanders and egg baskets

to animal t raps - sell for around

€ 4 9 0 , but there are plenty

of smaller items to tempt , too.

e GUSTAVE ;S Rue Ville C/ose, Bellême; maison-gustave.fr At first glance, Gustave looks

like an invit ing epicer ie-cum-

tearoom/restaurant . And

downstairs, that's exactiy what

it is, stocked wi th the finest

English jams, Spanish and

French oils, and Maison de

thé Theodor teas. But venture

upstairs and you'l l f ind two

rooms of Ast ier de Vil latte

ceramics, scented candies and

beauti ful ly pat inated ant ique

furn i ture. 'Our only pr inciple

is to sell the things we love,'

says co-owner Raphaël LIado.

OMMXI 72 Rue Boucicaut, Bellême 'I love p ic ture frames,' says

Valérie Smilenko f rom among

the jumble of her t iny shop. It's

t rue they're everywhere here,

h idden among the folk art,

walking canes, glass eyes and

19th-century armchairs. They're

at their most dramatic on the

aubergine walls, where they're

hung at surprising angles one

wi th in the other - a talking point

even wi thout the paintings.

O MANOIR DE LORMARIN Noce; manoirdelormarin.fr One reason to come here is

to get up close and personal

wi th one of the many imposing

manor houses scattered through

the région. The other is to poke

your nose into owner Alban

Cristin's rustic ant iques shop,

which is housed in the former

stables. Alban is more than

happy to tell you the stories

behind the pièces, f rom 1930S car grilles ('It's f rom a Rocket-

Schneider - as beauti ful as a

Rolls-Royce') to a ly th-century

spit, or tournebroche, created

by d o c k makers. 'I like t ry ing

to understand the pièces and

what they're tel l ing me,' he says.

'It 's a bit like hieroglyphics.'

W e part icularly loved the yellow

ceramic cider jugs at €55.

O L'ATELIER COULEURS La Coispillère, Ceton; ateliercouleurs.com Fed up wi th the gr ime of Paris,

former sail maker Nathalie

Paquin found this idyllic l 8 t h -

century farmhouse 15 years ago

while hunt ing for a weekend

escape. A coup de coeur later,

she and her young family left

the French capital and shipped

up here for good, first running

painting courses and later

opening this del ightfui bout ique.

Listen out for the frogs singing

in the pond as you shop for

industrial-style métal lights,

mirrors, cute glass butter dishes,

bird paperweights and more.

MAY 2013 H&A 145

THE PERCHE'S BEST NGS TO SE

N E E D T O KNOW.. . WHERE TO STAY • You can't help but smile

when you arrive at Villa

Fol Avri l (2 Rue des Fers

Chauds, Mout iers au

Perche; villafolavril.fr).

The sunny yellow bui lding

- a 19th-century staging

post - and parasoled dining

tables on the terrace make

for a good first impression.

And then you discover the

comfor table rooms, pret ty

gardens and pool ! And ail

start ing at an affordable

€95 /n ight in high season.

WHAT TO READ

• Pick up a copy of the

Calendrier des Brocantes

et Vide-Greniers (Basse-

Normandie) 2013 in a

local tabac. It lists ail the

régions fairs, flea markets

and vide-greniers by date.

EVENTS • From 29th June to 15th

July, an exhibi t ion of 25

paintings plus engravings

and caricatures by the

Impressionist artist

Gustave Courbe t will be

on display in Mor tagne-

au-Perche. You can buy

tickets (€5 each) at the

tourist office in the town.

GETTING THERE

• The Perche région in

Normandy is around

two hours' drive f rom

the ferry ports at Caen

and Cherbourg. Brittany

Ferries (0871 244 0744;

brittanyferries.com) offers

returns f rom £ 8 9 p p for

a car and two passengers.

FIND OUT MORE • Visit the tourist office at

normandy-tourism.co.uk.

HARAS DU PIN Le Pin-au-Haras; haras-national-du-pin.com

North-east of the Perche and

en route to the fer ry at Caen,

the national stud - former ly

the royal stud - is a must-see.

Arr iv ing early one morning,

we caught sight of two whi te

horses kicking up dust in the

sunlight as they cantered and

gal loped to classical music,

prepar ing for their weekiy

shows on Thursday afternoons.

Of ten re fer red to as the

'Versailles of horses', the stud

includes an impressive l 8 t h -

century château (home to the

current director, lucky boy),

as well as stables, a tack room

and an excellent muséum.

THIERRY SORET 20 Grande fiue, Le Mage ;

girouettesdumage.over-b/og.com

Crowing cockerels might be

the t radi t ional décorat ion of

a weathervane, but artisan

Thierry Soret takes things

considerably further. In his

t iny workshop in the village of

Le Mage, he créâtes del ightfui

scènes of farm life, days out

sailing, bicycle restorat ion and

gardening - or anything else

you 'd like to suggest. In his 20

years in the job, he estimâtes

that he's made around a

thousand. Prices start at €215.

MANOIR DE C O U R B O Y E R Visi tors' Centre, Courboyer; parc-naturel-perche.fr After the Hundred Years

War, the Perche région was

devastated, and only star ted to

re-establish itself towards the

end of the I5th century, when a

new class of wealthy landowners

star ted bui lding themselves

manor houses. The commanding

Manoir de Courboyer (below)

is one of the oldest, and is now

part of the Natural Park Visitors'

Cent re . Explore its w o o d -

panel led rooms, then head off

on a leisurely amble around

the meadows, ponds and

orchards of the estate.

JARDIN FRANÇOIS Les Clos, Prèaux-du-Perche; jardin-francois.com 'People lose themselves in

this garden,' says Monique

Gerbaud of the Jardin François

(above). And it's certainly set

out for contemplat ion, wi th

seats do t ted throughout its two

hectares encouraging you

to take your t ime and take

it ail in. Highiights include the

del ightful ly scented rose garden

(which houses 130 varieties),

a majestic handkerchief

t ree and a reed-fr inged Iake

offer ing beauti ful views over

the countryside beyond.

LA C H A P E L L E -MONTLIGEON The Basilica of Not re-Dame

de Mont l igeon looms like

a giant meringue over not

just the surrounding village

but the ent i re countryside.

Founded in 1896 by priest

Paul Buguet as a place

where people could pray for

their dead, it was originally

accompanied

by a pr int ing business

S whose proceeds provided

work for the villagers.

146 H&A MAY 2013