A Directoire-era manor house, which needs reviving, with an orangery, swimming pool and garden, surrounded by countryside, in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon -
A Directoire-era manor house, which needs reviving, with an orangery, swimming pool and garden, surrounded by countryside, in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
In the east of the Gard department and on the Villeneuve-lès-Avignon plain, with views of the Saint-André fort, perched on its promontory, the property's location combines the advantages of urban proximity with a peaceful setting in the countryside, while the village, which has earned the reputation as Avignon's upscale residential suburb, with, in particular, its famous Saturday flea market, is within walking distance and features many commercial and cultural amenities, without having to go into Avignon itself.
In addition, twenty minutes away from the Avignon high-speed rail station and 90 minutes from the international and national airports of Marseille, Nîmes and Montpellier, the property enjoys the extensive public transportation network of both the Greater Avignon inter-municipal community and the Occitanie region.
Featuring two storeys over a garden level, facing east and overlooking the plain, the dwelling is typical of manor houses erected by the wealthy bourgeoisie immediately after the French Revolution. Once reigning over an immense estate that has mostly been split up since due to inheritance laws, it has preserved its majestic ascending drive, lined with two rows of sycamores, which it shares with its adjacent caretaker's cottage, located to the west and excluded from the sale.
With all of its exterior architectural features from the manor's era of construction left intact, the dwelling boasts wide double-glazed windows and doors, six per floor on the main façade and two on each gable end, safeguarded by painted solid wood or louvred shutters, as well as beige plaster-coated ashlar stone exteriors, typical of bourgeois dwellings, since pointed stone was reserved for more rural farmhouses, while the dwelling's projecting eave and eye-catching sculpted cornice support a traditional barrel tile roof.
In addition, a little more than 1,100 m² of grounds have been preserved around the dwelling, from an estate that was originally much larger in size and the remainder of which, still existing in other hands, is primarily used as pastureland and woods, highlighting this property's undeniable bucolic feel, despite its proximity to the nearby town.
Sheltered from view, the walled garden is accessible via a tall wrought-iron gate from the Romantic period, flanked on either side by two stone pilasters topped with sculpted urns from the same era, while this verdant space, preceding the dwelling, communicates with an ancient and functional swimming pool, of approximately 50 m², and the orangery, with its original picture windows.
With several front steps providing access to the dwelling's garden-level entryway, the latter communicates with about a dozen rooms, including two immense drawing/living rooms, four bedrooms and three bath or shower rooms, whereas an independent garage for two vehicles was built under the garden in order to compensate for the drive's gentle slope.
Last, but not least, the building as a whole, quite sound, could forgo an exterior restoration, even though it would also be possible to refurbish its façade to its former lustre, while renovations will be required for the orangery.
The Manor HouseInhabited simultaneously for many decades by several members of the same family, it has been divided up over time into a number of different flats, each with their own amenities, while the majestic staircase, providing access to each floor, is illuminated on every level by a series of breath-taking stained glass windows designed by artists from the 1970s, which contrast nicely with the dwelling's 19th-century architecture.
Although the dimensions of the rooms have been more or less preserved, few original interior architectural features are ...
