An art deco house from the 1920s with over two hectares of grounds, nestled at the foot of a medieval fortress in the village of Coucy-le-Château in n
An art deco house from the 1920s with over two hectares of grounds, nestled at the foot of a medieval fortress in the village of Coucy-le-Château in northern France's Aisne department.
The village of Coucy-le-Château lies around 20 kilometres from the towns of Soissons and Laon on a rocky hill that looks down at the valley of the River Ailette. The village owes its reputation to its imposing medieval fortress built in the 13th century by Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy. The edifice's ramparts, huge towers and long enclosing walls bear witness to the power that the Lords of Coucy wielded in the Middle Ages. The surroundings form a patchwork of meadows, woods and cultivated fields in an undulating landscape that is typical of the area around Soissons. Many walking trails snake through the area, from forest edges to neighbouring towns. The village offers shops for everyday needs, as well as restaurants and local amenities in the historical centre. There is also a nursery school and a primary school in the village. From the village of Coucy-le-Château, you can quickly get onto the A26 and A1 motorways and N2 trunk road for easy access to Greater Paris, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, northern France and Belgium.
The property covers 2.1 hectares of woods, clearings and lawns. The house towers in the middle of the plot. A 1.6-hectare wood takes up the higher part of the land. Lower down, a long driveway edged with a meadow is currently used for horses. It leads up to the house. A section that provides a beautiful vista could be bought as an optional extra. From some spots on the grounds, you can admire a clear view of the Château de Coucy, which underlines the site's historical character.
The houseThe house was built in 1920. Its design is a combination of an art deco style and a neo-Norman style. The elevations have a base course of dressed stone with pale pointing and are structured with timber beams painted bluish green. Some of the small-paned windows are underlined with geometric decor with symmetrical lines that add a stylish touch that is characteristic of the house's time. The overall architecture brings out protrusions, pediments, recesses and roof overhangs. A flat-tiled roof with steep slopes, typical of the neo-Norman style, crowns the edifice. A front flight of stone steps beneath a timber canopy leads up to the main entrance door. Two small balconies punctuate the first floor. A curved bow window, typical of early-20th-century homes, forms a protrusion that looks out at the garden from the ground floor. The rear elevation has the same architectural design, with successive recesses more visible here. Different levels follow the shape of the land. An extension built in the 1950s forms a plainer section with a flat roof and large picture windows that look out at the garden.
The ground floor
A front flight of stone steps leads up to a double door of solid wood with wrought-iron touches and a glazed fanlight. This main door leads into an entrance hall with pale floor tiles patterned with black square inserts. This hallway connects to the different rooms on the ground floor. The hallway is extended with a vast storage space with doors that hide access to the back of the ground floor. On the left, a first door takes you into a spacious office with a triple-window alcove. This alcove window offers a sweeping view of the grounds. Extensive in-built bookshelves take up a wall. The room features an art deco fireplace too. Opposite this room, there is a small lounge in a rounded room. Three tall garden-facing windows fill this lounge with natural light. A double door then leads into a dining room with wood strip flooring. This dining room is bathed in natural light from a large window that looks out at the garden. From the small lounge, a second passageway leads to a large lounge - a huge ...
