A converted watermill from 1850 with a 1,500m² floor area, outhouses and four hectares of grounds by a river, only an hour from Paris - ref 495658
A converted watermill from 1850 with a 1,500m² floor area, outhouses and four hectares of grounds by a river, only an hour from Paris.
The property lies around 40 kilometres south-west of Paris, in France's Essonne department in the Île-de-France region that extends around Paris. It is close to the country's Yvelines and Eure-et-Loir departments too. The village where it lies was mentioned as early as in 1218. It neighbours a town with royal origins, considered the cradle of the House of France. This town offers shops and services for everyday needs. From the local train station, you can get to Paris in 35 minutes via two daily train journeys in the morning and evening. Orly international airport is only 50 minutes away. The property is also close to the A10 and A11 motorways, as well as the N20 trunk road and the Paris region's outer ring road.
The remarkable watermill stands in front of an expanse of water that reflects the edifice marvellously. Today, the mill does not have an inalienable right to make use of the river water here, but it nevertheless dates back to the year 1512. It was doubtless altered and rebuilt in the 17th century, as the L-shaped series of outhouses suggests. Today's property neighbours a chateau, which used to be part of a larger estate. The watermill was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century where two old mills once stood. More recently, the edifice was restored between 2002 and 2010. It has a ground floor, a first floor, a second floor, a third floor and a fourth floor in the roof space. A pavilion adjoins each end of the building. Each of these pavilions has a single bay of windows in their gable ends. The main embellishments are made of wood. There are windows with glazed arched fanlights with radial pane bars. Finely crafted guardrails are fitted in front of them. And remarkable timber corbels, also finely crafted, support the pavilion roofs. The spectacular size and shape of the edifice - with its five levels and rectangular plan - give the property an almost palatial dimension. Indeed, this grand character is as surprising as it is awe-inspiring. Moreover, the building's architectural evenness gives it an Italian style that recalls the noble warehouses that dot Lombardy and Veneto. The doors and windows are capped with semicircular arches of brickwork. In a classical arrangement, these openings are spaced out evenly. They punctuate each level with their pleasant, repeated motif. This design is the undeniable signature style of mills from the Second French Empire and which we can see in other local mills. The style underlines the period's architectural character in this region of France.
The watermill
The ground floor
You enter the watermill from the court. A few steps take you up to the entrance door. The entrance hall has a tiled floor, painted walls and exposed beams. It takes up almost the entire ground floor. On the north side, the hall connects to two rooms. The first one is used as a utility room and the second one as a technical installations room, including for heating and networks. Another utility room is hidden away on this floor. On the south side, there is a room where the watermill's old machinery can be seen, as well as a passageway to the waterwheel and waterfall. There is also an air-conditioned wine cellar on this floor. A stairwell and a lift connect to the different levels.
The first floor
Beneath a remarkable timber frame, the first floor extends with astonishing spaciousness. Here, the watermill's entire building structure is showcased. The arched windows set in the thick walls let natural light inside and offer views of the grounds. This light plays with the shadows of the timber beams like a Flemish chiaroscuro painting. In the middle, a double-floor atrium extends up through the edifice. Beyond the lift and metal stairs, ...
