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Origin and history

The manor house of Locmaria, located in the town of Locmaria in the municipality of Carnoët (Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany), is a historical monument inscribed with its outbuildings. Its history dates back to at least the 14th century, when it belonged to Jan Le Cerff and Catherine du Ménez. In the 15th century, he passed by inheritance to Jan du Bois and Adelize du Vieuxchastel, then changed hands through the centuries through marriage alliances (family of Lemo, of Cleuz du Gage, of Kerouarz). Confiscated as a national good during the Revolution, it was sold. In 2008, the abandoned manor house was purchased by Olivier Thomas, who undertook his integral restoration using traditional techniques. The excavations revealed objects dating from the Paleolithic (stone tools) and the 15th to 16th centuries (potteries, weapons, lissoirs), as well as ancient remains such as a Gaulish stele and a Roman wash fountain. Nearby are a feudal motte, a medieval mill, and the location of the former chapel of Locmaria (disappeared), founded by the lords of the mansion.

The architecture of the manor house, typical of central Britain, includes a seigneurial house, commons (grange, stable, henhouse), and a courtyard closed by walls with monumental gates. The house, built in shale, sandstone and granite, dates from the middle of the eighteenth century (the commons bear the date of 1771), while a square tower was added in the nineteenth century. The dining room preserves Louis XVI panelling and a black marble fireplace. The mansion was partially burned and restored in the 19th century. Since 2008, Olivier Thomas has restored the ensemble alone, respecting ancestral methods. The site also includes an ancient well, a Gallic vallum, and traces of the chapel Notre-Dame de Pentrau, whose calvary was moved.

The mansion was listed as a historical monument by order of 20 December 2019 for its facades, roofs, staircase and dining room. A first partial protection was granted in 1985. Archaeological discoveries (medieval weapons, Gallo-Roman objects) and the presence of surrounding feudal structures (motte, mill) make it a major site for the study of human occupation in Brittany, from paleolithic to modern times. Publications in local magazines (Kaier ar Poher, Maisons Paysannes de France) and press articles (Ouest-France, Le Télégramme) document its history and restoration, hailed with distinctions as a gold medal in 2015.

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