A 19th-century seaside villa, facing the ocean, on the wild and untamed coast of Le Croisic's peninsula - ref 228527
A 19th-century seaside villa, facing the ocean, on the wild and untamed coast of Le Croisic's peninsula.
In the Loire-Atlantique department, the seaside resort of Le Croisic experienced its golden age in the 19th century, specifically with the arrival of the railway in 1879. On the south side of the peninsula, the coast, listed as a protected natural area, unfurls its cliffs and inlets along the coastal control path, while the property itself, located in a quiet residential neighbourhood, is just a few steps away from Port Lin beach and two kilometres away from the downtown area.
As for the town's historic centre with its rich heritage, it combines shops, market buildings and a green market, while its lively port is emblematic of the local maritime tradition. Walking along its quays reveals architecture typical to coastal towns, with fishermen cottages, private mansions and villas from the 19th century, whereas the train station, a few steps away, provides service to Paris in three hours and Nantes in a little more than one hour.
With the Nantes-Atlantique airport ninety kilometres away, the town, located between the land and sea, features many nearby activities, such as water sports, golf, tennis, as well as the Océarium, while further afield, saltmarshes, the medieval city of Guérande, as well as the Brière regional natural park, are an invitation to get away from it all.
Along the coastal road, a picket gate, framed by two granite pillars, opens on to a breath-taking view of the villa with the ocean in the background. Behind the gravel courtyard, large enough to park several vehicles, the dwelling stands in the middle of the property, surrounded by the garden and the sea. Near the gate is an inhabitable two-storey outbuilding, while the villa itself was built over two separate periods: its western section dates back to the middle of the 19th century and includes two floors, one of which is under the eaves, while later on, around 1900, the building was flanked to the east by a slightly larger, but considerably taller, extension with three storeys, including one under the eaves.
Built out of rubble stone and covered in light-colour plaster, the villa's corners are highlighted by toothed ashlar stone quoins, while its symmetrical windows are also framed by ashlar stone and topped with chiselled granite lintels. Topped with a gently sloping hipped roof over the initial construction, which is cadenced on either side by two gable dormer windows, whose wooden structures, decorated with understated mouldings, are painted white, its newer and larger section, crowned with a steeper hipped roof, features roof finials and dormer windows with granite triangular pediments on three of its four sides. These stone dormers, larger in size, not only highlight the extension's verticality, but give it the look of a tower as well, which emphasises its role as an architectural centrepiece within the villa's overall composition.
The DwellingFeaturing wood-framed windows, painted dark blue, which contrast nicely with its light-colour plaster-coated exteriors and traditional shutters made out of vertical wooden planks, painted white, this colour combination not only highlights the exterior's symmetrical appearance, but also confirms the villa's maritime identity.
Upstairs, the windows are also safeguarded with small balustrades at their base, which matches nicely with the balcony's guardrail, typical of 19th-century seaside homes.
As for its southern exterior, an eye-catching porch provides a pleasant outdoor space and extends the interior to the outside. Supported by slender wooden posts and decorated with ornamental lace-like trim, typical of seaside holiday homes, its gently sloping zinc roof protects this space from both the sun and the ocean's salt spray.
The ground floor
The villa's front door opens ...
