An 18th-century stone house, its patio, enclosed garden and swimming pool in the centre of a historical Burgundy village, two hours from Paris - ref 2
An 18th-century stone house, its patio, enclosed garden and swimming pool in the centre of a historical Burgundy village, two hours from Paris.
Overlooking the town, the property is located in the centre of a village recognised as a Small Town of Character in the Nièvre department within the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. A stopover on the Way of St. James since the Middle Ages, the village most notably includes a grand and elegant 13th-century High Gothic-style church, listed as a Historical Monument, its two belfries rising above the sloped roofs of the town set within an envelope of verdant hills. The religious monument houses one of the rare treasures from the former Nivernais province and a remarkable 16th-century triptych.
The historical village with its Gothic-style architecture - embellished since the Middle Ages thanks to the "red gold", which contributed to the creation of a network of cellars nicknamed "the second city" - includes several shops essential for daily life as well as a lively farmers market that takes place each week. The house is located a stone's throw away from Vézelay and the city of Clamecy, from which SNCF trains reach the Paris-Bercy train station in 2.5 hours.
Many old dwellings line the streets of this village, including this 18th-century stone house whose carriage door opens onto a half-timbered covered area with a stone flag ground that once housed horse-drawn carriages. This space directly leads to the garden enclosed by high walls in which several niches were created. A gravel path borders a lawn accentuated by a row of rosebushes, which face a portion of the dwelling and outbuildings.
The house, entirely built over a basement level, has two storeys. The façade is punctuated by many arched "wolf's jaw and sheep's head" wood-framed windows typical of the 18th century, which are protected by pearl grey wooden shutters on the ground floor, while upstairs, they are fitted with louvred shutters and finely sculpted guardrails. A few stone steps lead to the double wooden front door crowned with a glazed fanlight decorated with finely crafted ironwork. Nearby, a very old carriage door provides access to the property for vehicles. The house's back façade faces the garden and the garage's large arched entrance. On this side, the ground floor communicates directly with the patio via tall French doors, while a polygonal entrance, entirely glazed, provides access to the garden. Lastly, a perpendicular wing with large arched small-paned windows extends on from the main building.
Wisteria festoons the façades with a dash of colour, while a few steps lead to an upper patio covered in Burgundy stone, which runs along the house and reveals plunging perspectives of the garden and a view reaching all the way to the countryside and its hills. The perpendicular extension is accessible via a stone staircase, which leads inside or to the garden. At the end of the latter, a guardrail reveals a vertiginous view of the village, while a second entrance, protected by grapevines, provides direct access to the small streets below via a stone staircase. On the garden side, a heated swimming pool is located in an interior courtyard. Nearby, a staircase leads directly to the kitchen.
The Main HouseThe property has encountered and lodged some famous people in its day, specifically Admiral Paul Galleret, who, for 42 years, loyally served the French Navy and manifested an unfailing loyalty to General De Gaulle, of whom he was a valued behind-the-scenes collaborator.
The ground floor
The entrance hall, with immaculate walls highlighted by original terracotta floor tiles, leads to a front bedroom with hardwood floors and two windows that overlook the village. A door opens onto a hallway, which leads to a shower room with a terracotta file floor, a walk-in shower, marble sink and an ...
