An 18th century mansion house, with an interior courtyard and a terraced garden, in the Touraine region - ref 762384
An 18th century mansion house, with an interior courtyard and a terraced garden, in the Touraine region.
In the Loire Valley, classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, 30 minutes from Chenonceau Chateau, this mansion house is in the midst of a tourist and royal town. All amenities, shops and restaurants are within walking distance, as is the SNCF train station, with its 2½-hour links to the French capital. The A10 motorway makes it possible to reach Paris in 2¾ hours.
This mansion house is on a privileged site below the royal town of Loches, adjoining its ramparts and very near to the town centre. The main entrance, in a quiet street, is reached via oak wood carriage gates and an entrance porchway. The latter leads to an interior paved courtyard, overlooked by a good many of the house's windows. A passageway leads from there to a wide terrace and then, via a few steps, to a garden. The main facade faces a mall.
The mansion houseThis mansion house was commissioned by Lord Damour in 1772 with the consent of Louis XV. It was constructed from freestone and laid out in a square around an interior courtyard. Built on the site of an old coaching inn, it spans two levels, partially topped with attic space. The main section has a hip, slate roof, the other buildings have gable roofs. The plain but elegant, road side facade is dominated by the carriage gates. On the mall side, the windows are numerous and a door opens into a double vestibule. A cornice and a string course enhance the facades.
The ground floor
Crossed by the porchway and the passageway leading to the terrace, the buildings on the ground floor form two separate sections. In the main building, a door opens into a double, through vestibule. The first half is the entrance hall of the residence, housing a dogleg, wooden stairway and a toilet. The floor is paved with terrazzo. The second half, with strip pattern parquet flooring, provides access, on one side, to a lounge-library, with exposed ceiling beams and a beige marble fireplace. One of the walls is predominantly taken up by a painted, wooden bookshelf unit reflecting the Napoleon III style. The other side is taken up with a cosier lounge, with strip pattern parquet flooring, exposed beams and a black marble fireplace. Following on at right angles is a dining room, with terracotta floor tiles and a freestone fireplace. A door opens into the interior courtyard. Next, a hall area, with a storeroom, provides access to a kitchen. A picture window opens on to the terrace and the garden. One of the three doors on the other side of the courtyard leads to a laundry room, another to a vestibule housing a stairway going upstairs, and the last, under the porchway, to two rooms awaiting conversion.
The first floor
All the wings of the house intercommunicate. A landing provides access, on one side, to a corridor leading to two bedrooms, with strip pattern parquet flooring. One has a bathroom and a toilet, the other has a large shower room and a toilet. The first is decorated with a black marble fireplace, topped with a mirror and a trumeau, as well as ceiling mouldings. The walls in the second are lined with wainscoting and the ceiling enhanced with moulding. On the other side, attic space which could be converted can be reached via a few steps, then a hall area provides access on either side to a bedroom and a gallery. The bedroom features exposed ceiling beams and a black marble fireplace. A corridor leads to a shower room, with a toilet, and a little lounge, featuring a ceramic wood-burning stove. There is parquet flooring throughout. The gallery is extremely bright courtesy of large windows overlooking the interior courtyard. It has exposed freestone walls and a vaulted, rendered ceiling. Said gallery leads to a landing providing access to a large dressing room area, with a ...
