A house steeped in history, from the 14th, 17th and 18th centuries, with a separate garden and barn, in the heart of a bastide in France's Landes depa
A house steeped in history, from the 14th, 17th and 18th centuries, with a separate garden and barn, in the heart of a bastide in France's Landes department.
The quaint village of Labastide-d'Armagnac lies in the Landes department of France, close to the country's Gers department. It is one of France's most beautiful bastides. Bastides are small, fortified towns that were built in south-west France in the Middle Ages. It is nestled in the heart of the Bas-Armagnac area where the famous brandy Armagnac is made with a protected label of origin.
The spa village of Barbotan-les-Thermes is 14 kilometres away. Barbotan-les-Thermes is renowned for its thermal baths, especially treatment in phlebology and rheumatology. This spa village also offers a casino, a vast leisure park and a 17-hectare lake. The town of Roquefort completes the range of shops and amenities in Labastide-d'Armagnac. Roquefort lies to the west of Labastide-d'Armagnac, 15 minutes away by car, towards the Landes de Gascogne regional nature park.
The A65 motorway is just 17 kilometres away. This major road takes you to the city of Bordeaux and to the ski slopes of the Pyrenees. The large town of Mont-de-Marsan lies 25 kilometres away. And the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean are only an hour from the property.
The old square Place Royale is picturesque on all four sides: a 12th-century fort-like church stands on one side and arcades forming galleries line rows of houses, which are mostly half-timbered. The village is full of buildings that date back to periods between the 14th and 18th centuries. Almost all of them have been masterfully restored. They are hidden among the countless alleys that form a grid leading to the square. Today, this historical square is a hub for encounters and conviviality, fostered by the presence of several restaurants and a parking ban here. Nearby, artists' studios and a range of curiosities line medieval streets. For example, there is a Protestant church built in 1607 that has been turned into an exhibition centre.
On the square, the house lies opposite the church. The dwelling is known as the most beautiful house in Labastide-d'Armagnac. It has a ground floor, a first floor and a loft that could be converted. It is nestled on the square's north-east corner, so it has two entrances beneath its galleries: one leads in from the square Place Royale and the other leads in from a side street. The house faces south-east. It stands on the edge of the square, blending harmoniously into its architectural environment. The dwelling is crowned with a roof of monk-and-nun tiling on which a gabled dormer stands. The facade's upper section, made of brick and lattice-patterned timber framing, rests upon a thick stone wall and solid beams and joists, which are supported by two stone pillars - part of a former gallery of shops. On the first floor, three segmental-arch windows with crosspieces stand behind wrought-iron guardrails. They are fitted with wooden shutters.
At the back, on the north side, there is a small terrace on the first floor. Lastly, in line with the house, there are two small rooms in a section with an entrance from outside: a fitness room with a wine cellar and lavatory and a space with a recent oil boiler and its tank.
The house of Captain de Malartic
The ground floor
The main entrance door leads from a small side street into a large hallway with a floor of round tiles that form a pattern of concave-edged spaces in between them. At the back of this hall, an oak staircase with two quarter turns leads upstairs. Its elegantly understated balustrade has a wooden handrail and old wrought-iron balusters.
On one side of this hallway, a vast room looks out through the square's gallery. The room was once used for craftmanship, trade and storage. Today, a high-quality spacious kitchen lies beside a dining area ...
