A 14th-century fortified house with a garden, in the Périgord Pourpre sector, 20 minutes from Bergerac, in a medieval village - ref 928743
A 14th-century fortified house with a garden, in the Périgord Pourpre sector, 20 minutes from Bergerac, in a medieval village.
This property is located in the Périgord Pourpre sector, in a municipality renowned for its architecture and history, where the gentleness of the countryside combines with the appeal of the Dordogne Valley. Renowned fortified villages - such as Eymet, Beaumontois-en-Périgord, Monpazier or Lalinde -, silhouettes of many castles and thousand-year-old villages make up a rich heritage environment. The village of Issigeac also stands out thanks to its circular layout, which is heritage of its past stretching back to antiquity. Bergerac, which boasts a railway station, international airport and hospital, is less than 20 minutes away. The large cities in the region can also be reached easily: Toulouse and Bordeaux are 2 hours away, from where high-speed TGV trains can be taken to Paris. The major tourist sites of Sarlat-la-Canéda and Montignac-Lascaux in the Périgord noir sector are one hour away by road.
This residence stands off a cobbled street that winds through the medieval depths of Issigeac, behind tall stone walls where time has left an ochre and grey patina. The three-storey main facade, made of light-yellow limestone typical of the Périgord, is topped by a roof of flat tiles. The imposingly thick original medieval walls are composed of irregular masonry, characteristic of 14th-century buildings. The facade is punctuated by deep frames housing the windows, which are sparingly distributed, in keeping with the defensive architecture of the time. On the ground floor, a wooden door painted in faded Celadon green, with a carefully constructed ashlar frame, marks the main entrance. Above it, small-paned windows in period joinery dot the facade. A hipped dormer window emerges from the roof on the attic level, while a wrought-iron streetlamp stands just in front of the residence.
The house
The first floor
A stone flight of steps leads to a covered terrace in front of the main entrance to the house. Once through the main door, there is a reception hall, with period wood stripped flooring, which is an antechamber around which the residence is organised. Indeed, the hall leads into the lounge, which is the centrepiece of the edifice. The dark, exposed oakwood beams on the high ceiling stretch out above a monumental stone fireplace. Gentle light filters through the mullioned windows, highlighting the ample volumes. On the same level, there is a bedroom with period wood stripped flooring and windows overlooking the garden. It could easily be used as a second reception room according to needs. A dining room with a fireplace merges into the kitchen, providing a dual aspect, overlooking the courtyard and garden as well as natural continuity between the inside and outside. A bathroom with a modern design, equipped with a bath and double washbasin, stands next to a separate lavatory.
The second floor
The staircase climbs to a vast landing, which is large enough to be transformed into a study or a second lounge and from which a corridor leads to the sleeping quarters. The first bedroom has a sloped ceiling and is adjoined by further cosy space in the form of an office or spare bedroom. The master bedroom boasts an exposed roof frame and is east/west oriented. It is followed by a lavatory with a hand-washbasin. The convertible attic space above promises plenty of extension potential, in which an extra master bedroom or guests' suite could be installed.
The ground floor
From the courtyard, a door leads into a vast utility room with a sink, which in turn opens out into the garden. A workshop can be reached separately from the courtyard, street or the inside staircase from the lounge. This large room with stonework walls, in which the house's medieval foundations are visible, ...
