An old, 17th-century chaplaincy, its outbuildings, its swimming pool, its tennis court and its 1.5 ha of parklands in Charente-Tuscany - ref 968679
An old, 17th-century chaplaincy, its outbuildings, its swimming pool, its tennis court and its 1.5 ha of parklands in Charente-Tuscany.
This property is in the mid-west France, less than 30 minutes from Angoulême and its TGV train station, with 110-minute links to Paris-Montparnasse. 45 minutes from Cognac, birthplace of François 1st, capital of the drink of the same name whose spirit is distilled in the commune from local vines, it is blessed with the sunny, southern Atlantic climate. The region is known as the Charente-Tuscany because of its undulating landscapes covered with pine and oak woods as well as fields of wheat, maize, sunflowers and vines. In the midst of a region renowned for its French gastronomy: Cognac, Pineau, strawberries, melons, foie-gras, Barbezieux chicken, truffles, king boletes, Chalais veal, etc.
The local heritage includes old stone, Romanesque churches, a nearby Knights Templar chapel renowned for its 12th century fresco, the biggest in the world, and estates, such as that of Alfred-de-Vigny. All shops are to be found in the village just a few minutes' drive away.
A secondary road leads to the property via the west, running alongside a thick hedge that opens in line with the setting sun. It then reveals the exteriors of the buildings laid out around a square paved courtyard. The latter is closed by iron gates in two places, on either side of a little house standing on the east side. The main house is on the north side, facing the courtyard, whilst opposite, on the south side, is a large covered area, extended by a barn, followed by a house on the right-hand side of the entrance. On the left-hand side of the latter is a vast, L-shaped barn, with another building adjoining the main house. The L-shape encompasses a swimming pool. The tennis court is further east, on the other side, at the end of the parklands enhanced with tall trees as well as fruit trees.
The chaplaincyAs for all the buildings, the thick walls of this chaplaincy are constructed from exposed quarry stone blocks, known as "shellstone", with dressed stone surrounds framing most of the doors and inward-opening windows. The wooden shutters are mouse-grey in colour. The low, hip roofs are covered with terracotta Roman tiles.
The ground floor
The entrance door, topped with its bull's eye window, opens into a large corridor, with a high ceiling featuring oak wood joists and, at the end, a pastel-grey, quarter turning, wooden stairway. Enhanced by its colour, it stands out from the white walls like an ornament. A stone sink is set in a corner on the immediate left-hand side.
Doors on either side open into two vast rooms, a lounge on the left, with its stone fireplace, typical of the region, and a living room on the right, with its stone fireplace. Both fireplaces extend up to oak wood, French ceilings which contrast elegantly with the whiteness of the walls. A French window makes it possible to go from the living room out into the parklands on the east side, with its tennis court.
On the left-hand side behind the stairway, a toilet with a wash-hand basin, gives way to a room laid out as a study, its oak wood flooring reflecting the patina of time. It is enhanced with a corner stone fireplace, adorned with wooden facing, leaving exposed the sculpture of its pilasters rising up to the cornice edging the ceiling.
A door opens into a large, south-facing lounge, where a French window gives direct access to the swimming pool on the west side. Another door leads northwards to the adjoining barn.
On the other side, to the right of the stairway, the corridor opens into a kitchen, made bright by its walls and French ceiling, reflecting the delicate rays from the French windows. This room is embellished with a fireplace, its old stone jambs bearing witness to the age of the premises. On the north side, next to a ...
