A restored, 17th-century village house with a walled garden, 1 hour 15 minutes west of Paris, between Chartres and Rambouillet - ref 571913
A restored, 17th-century village house with a walled garden, 1 hour 15 minutes west of Paris, between Chartres and Rambouillet.
Gallardon is a village at the confluence of the Voise, Ocre and Rémarde rivers, in the Eure-et-Loir area, near to the Yvelines area, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The historical village centre with cobbled streets, 'Marmouset' half-timbered houses and a 12th-century church plays host to all essential shops and services. It also boasts schools from nursery to junior high level. The house is located a short distance from the village's central square, alongside a peaceful street descending to the Eure canal, with a parking space. Chartres and Rambouillet are 30 minutes away by car, while southwest Paris can be reached in 1 hour 15 minutes via the A10 or A13 motorways and the N10 dual carriageway. Regional express trains from the station in Épernon, which is 13 minutes away by road, take 45 minutes to reach Paris-Montparnasse.
The two-storey edifice's facade facing the street is made up of ashlar plus exposed rubble limestone and flint, beneath a gabled roof made of flat tiles punctuated by a gabled wall dormer. Another zinc roof, which cannot be seen from the street, covers the rest of the house. Two windows fitted with green wooden shutters grace the raised ground floor level and are away from prying eyes thanks to the slope of the street. A small, wooden, semi-circular ached door leads directly from the street into a double vaulted cellar, whilst another larger oakwood studded door leads into a small garden with stone walls housing the entrance to the residence.
The house
The first level
Several steps climb up to a stoop, from where the entrance door leads into a lounge. Original features such as the roof frame, terracotta tiles and fireplace have been preserved and restored. The double-glazed windows have wooden frames and one of them overlooks the garden. Beneath a trapdoor concealed in the floor, a stone staircase descends to the two vaulted cellars. This level includes a fitted kitchen in which a wood-fired stove heats the lounge and the upper level. After a small corridor leading to a lavatory, there are two bedrooms either side of a bathroom. These three rooms are bathed in light via skylights. The largest is connected to a mezzanine area and leads out into the garden via a glazed door.
The upstairs
A stone flight of steps climbs from the garden to a small wooden gallery topped by an awning with a roof of flat tiles and protected by a guard-rail with sculpted wooden balusters. A door leads into a vast room beneath the roof, whose frame is exposed on this level, revealing rafters, tie beams and struts, while the floor is paved with period terracotta tiles. Light pours in through a skylight, a dormer and a window. A water inlet has also been installed.The gardenThe walled garden combines a part made of old sandstone cobbles with a lawned area dotted with shrubs, climbing plants and a maple tree. A storage room with a sink on the ground floor can be reached via a wooden door.
