A 19th-century distillery with a loading dock and paved courtyard, 10 kilometres north of the town of Fontainebleau and 55 kilometres south of Paris -
A 19th-century distillery with a loading dock and paved courtyard, 10 kilometres north of the town of Fontainebleau and 55 kilometres south of Paris.
The village of Chailly-en-Bière lies in the west of France's Seine-et-Marne department, on the plain immortalised by the famous painting L'Angélus by the pre-Impressionist painter Jean-François Millet. From this former distillery you can quickly get to Paris. It is only 10 kilometres from the charming town of Fontainebleau and its chateau, nine kilometres from the A6 motorway and 10 kilometres from a train station on the RER regional rail network. The local area is the perfect combination of rurality and urban convenience. You reach the property from country lanes or via roads lined with low stone walls that reveal elegant houses here and there, in the charming village of Chailly-en-Bière. This village neighbours the town of Barbizon, which offers shops for everyday needs, including a bakery, a grocery, a greengrocery, a hairdresser and restaurants, in addition to a nursery school and primary school.
Through its location, environment and architecture, the distillery forms a true link between rural and urban backdrops, only 10 kilometres from Fontainebleau. On one side, the building neighbours cultivated fields that cover the fertile plain on which it stands and where horses that graze underline the bucolic backdrop. On the other side, tall trees, through which morning sunlight shines, creates an enchanting atmosphere around the stone edifices. The distillery, built of burrstone, was made in the 19th century. It has four levels, each with a floor area of around 100m². Tall, straight windows bathe its interior in natural light. From the top of the building, you can admire far-reaching views of the cultivated fields. This vista is especially magical when the sun sets. Opposite the main edifice, there is a loading bay with a metal framework and a stone base. It offers a 125m² floor area. The property lies in a zone that can be built upon, so you can imagine a range of possibilities for development on the two sections of this cadastral plot. The whole site is connected to the water, electricity and gas networks. The distillery's roof of flat tiles was renovated in 2017 and its court-facing elevation of stonework was revealed through a masterful removal of the rendering that covered it. Four floors were made with spaces for water outlets and electricity inlets. The buildings have been officially recognised for being remarkable. They form a gem of built heritage for the village and its surroundings.
The local history
The history of the village
Chailly-en-Bière is a rural village in France's Seine-et-Marne department that is full of history. Its development is intimately tied to its closeness to Barbizon, a village known for the Barbizon School art movement. From its beginnings, Chailly-en-Bière was based mostly on agriculture. The majority of its inhabitants made a living from working in the fields and rearing livestock. This rural tradition continued even when the industrialisation of the 19th century had got underway. Despite the changes that this industrialisation brought and, indeed, despite modernisation in general, Chailly-en-Bière has kept its agricultural and architectural heritage. Its old cheese dairy, its distillery and its surrounding landscape, immortalised by the painters of the Barbizon School, all contribute to the preservation of this site's rich past. Today, Chailly-en-Bière remains a living expression of those paintings that capture the village's rural heritage and makes it a true place of interest, both for lovers of history and lovers of art.
The history of the cheese dairy
The old cheese dairy, an emblematic edifice of Chailly-en-Bière, dates back to the 15th century. Its history is closely tied to that of local lords and ...
