A grand house with outbuildings and 88 hectares of land and woods, nestled in France's Charente department, between the cities of Bordeaux, Angoulême
A grand house with outbuildings and 88 hectares of land and woods, nestled in France's Charente department, between the cities of Bordeaux, Angoulême and Périgueux.
The property lies in the south of France's Charente department, near the country's Dordogne department. Its beautiful local area is nicknamed the Charente Champagne. Five minutes away, there is a village with shops and amenities. An abbey is close too. The estate dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It is nestled in a wooded, undulating landscape. Many quaint villages, old stone houses and remarkable sites of architectural heritage, such as the Château de Villebois-Lavalette and the Château de la Mercerie, are nearby. The city of Angoulême, known for its comic book festival, historical car race and many fine chocolate shops, is only 30 minutes away. The charming city of Périgueux is 1 hour and 10 minutes away. And from Angoulême train station, you can get to Paris in just 1 hour and 50 minutes by high-speed rail.
The main house and its outbuildings can be reached via a tarmacked road that is more than 500 metres long. The buildings stand on a hillside in an estate that covers 41 hectares of land and 45 hectares of woods. The woods extend at the top of the hill, on the north, east and south sides of the open land. The structures are made of rubble stone with window and door surrounds of limestone ashlar. They are crowned with terracotta barrel tiles. These buildings are arranged in a U shape that is open on its east side and has a walled garden on its west side. In the valley, two springs provide water for a stream, beside which there is a small lake. A farm building is hidden in the middle of the woods on the south side.
The grand houseThe main house is rectangular in shape. It has a ground floor and a first floor and it is crowned with a hipped roof. It faces the outhouses. The dwelling has a walled garden on its west side. You enter the home via a small flight of front steps.
The ground floor
The ground floor has a spacious entrance hall with an oak ceiling and a floor of old terracotta tiles. A rounded staircase made of elm wood leads upstairs from here. A door with old iron fittings leads out to the garden. On each side of the hallway, large wooden grey doors lead to the rooms. On the left, there are two old reception rooms that feature 19th-century fireplaces. On the right, there is a kitchen, which has wooden cupboards and a fireplace that is typical of the local Charente department of France. This kitchen is bathed in natural light from windows that look out at the court and outbuildings. From here, a hallway leads to a scullery, a former pantry and a cellar. Opposite, there are two extra rooms. Each one has a fireplace. These rooms face the garden on the west side.
The upstairs
An extensive landing connects to five bedrooms, a bathroom with a lavatory and a staircase that takes you up to the loft. Two of the bedrooms, on the south side, have a fireplace. On the north side, a corridor takes you past the three other bedrooms and to a bathroom and a lavatory. The floor on this level is covered with broad oak strips with a sheen.
The outbuildingsThe outbuildings cover around 1,000m² in total. A first building adjoins the main house on the north-east side and covers over 500m². It contains storerooms, former stables and a dwelling to be renovated. The elevations are made of rubble stone with ashlar-framed openings. The structure is crowned with a roof of terracotta barrel tiles. Nearby, in the courtyard, there is a square well. Behind the edifice there is a 240m² barn with an impressive roof frame of oak that you can see inside it. On the south side, there is a collection of buildings that cover 300m². They are separated from the main ...
