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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Tertre Farm, located at the place called Le Tertre in Plouasne (Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany), is an emblematic 18th century rural monument. Built in 1742, as attests to a stone engraved on the façade, it replaces a 16th century house whose stones (such as a chimney lintel or bay frames) have been reused. Local materials – granite bellows, shell limestone and faluns – dominate its structure, while its triple-ressault cornice and sculpted skylights (brown with smiling heads and fanciful skims) reflect a neat craftsmanship. The house, facing south, consists of two fire rooms on the ground floor surmounted by attices, with a barn adjacent.

The farm is built on the lands of the Baronie du Vau Ruffier, property of the Duke and Duchess of Duras (née Louise de Coetquen). The names of the first owners, François Heurtaut and Jeanne Legrand, are engraved under the cornice. The decorations of the skylights, inspired by centuries past, combine schematic motifs (saw teeth, denticles) and enigmatic symbols such as a recurring bird or a shield bearing the abbreviation "siduras", perhaps an anagram. An attic stone, dated 1579, and a lintel with geometric motifs (losange, inverted heart) testify to the reuse of ancient elements.

Partially classified as historical monuments since 27 October 1987 (housework only), the farm illustrates the evolution of Breton rural habitat, between tradition and noble influences. The cadastre of 1834 revealed that it was then divided into two properties. Today's private property, its state of conservation and architectural details make it a valuable witness to 18th century agricultural life in inland Brittany.

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