A former hunting lodge from the 18th century with a garden, terraces and outhouses on a splendid 1,937m² plot in the city of Nantes in western France
A former hunting lodge from the 18th century with a garden, terraces and outhouses on a splendid 1,937m² plot in the city of Nantes in western France.
Nantes is France's sixth-biggest city and the leading urban centre of the country's western seaboard. It lies in France's beautiful Pays de la Loire region. The city's Hauts-Pavés-Saint-Félix district is located towards the north of Nantes. It has kept a certain village atmosphere. Here, Talensac market hall, one of the busiest markets in Nantes, and the antique dealers on Place Viarme square help make this residential area particularly vibrant. Not far away, there is the Île de Versailles islet on the River Erdre with its Japanese-style garden. Riverside quays invite you to stroll leisurely by the water. The property lies on a calm road, near shops, schools and handy public transport links. From the high-speed train station in Nantes you can get to Paris in only two hours by rail. And Nantes international airport offers flights to Europe's major cities too.
The edifice was built in 1752. It used to be part of the estate of the Château de la Haute-Forêt - a property that no longer exists. Its garden-facing elevation has a central section with a gently rounded end beneath an apsidal slate roof. An arched doorway fitted with a fanlight and a glazed double door with small panes leads out into the garden from the ground floor. It stands between two rectangular windows. Upstairs, the apsidal end is punctuated with three large windows, each fitted with a wrought-iron guardrail. The symmetrical arrangement of the glazing and the perfectly even proportions reflect 18th-century taste and classical balance. This design also brings an abundance of natural light inside. The house has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in the roof space. It includes five bedrooms and three shower rooms. It offers a 190m² floor area. The 1,937m² plot includes a beautiful landscaped garden. This land was once part of a more extensive estate, made up of vineyards and woods and extending down to the banks of the River Erdre. The outbuildings have been redesigned over time and the old stable converted into a dwelling beside a workshop. On the west side, along the road, there is a series of shelters and storerooms, as well as a self-contained apartment.
The houseA gate leads into the grounds. Beyond a courtyard, the fine edifice comes into view. Its facade has a two-level central section, framed between two lower wings. The window surrounds of exposed tuffeau stone give relief to this facade. A triangular pediment above the central entrance door discreetly marks the axis through the edifice. Higher up, there is a stone niche housing a statuette of the Virgin Mary.
The ground floor
A side door leads into an entrance hall. On one side, this hallway connects to an office. On the other side, it connects to the former hunting room. The latter is still organised around a large table upon which waterfowl would be placed, beside two indoor fountains and spots where gun cabinets would have been and which you can still see today. A double door leads into a round lounge that looks widely out at the garden through two small-paned large windows and a glazed double door that takes you outside. Behind the lounge, there is a hallway that leads to a staircase and a kitchen, which is organised into two sections: there is one part that you can reach straight from the courtyard and there is another part with an eating area and a stove inside a fireplace of granite and tuffeau stone.
The first floor
At the top of the wooden staircase, there is a landing that connects to a corridor with a floor of cement tiles laid in a black and white checked pattern. This corridor runs from one side of the house to the other. On the east side, there is the master bedroom. It looks down at ...
