A 19th-century Bourgeois home between the River Seine and the Vexin hills, in Vétheuil, with outbuildings and a more than 3,900-m² walled garden - ref
A 19th-century Bourgeois home between the River Seine and the Vexin hills, in Vétheuil, with outbuildings and a more than 3,900-m² walled garden.
The village of Vétheuil, scarcely 1 hour from Paris, stretches peacefully along the right bank of the River Seine, between its meanders and the limestone hills. The village is part of the Vexin français regional natural park and is dotted with orchards, fields and cliffs, which shape the landscape with infinite nuances throughout the seasons. The village's history is closely linked to that of several French kings as well as Claude Monet, who lived and painted many canvases here. It boasts a unique atmosphere, with its monumental 11th-century church and grand fifty-step stairs (listed as a historical monument), its narrow streets with old walls, the quays along the River Seine or the slopes overlooking walled gardens. The neighbouring municipalities of La Roche-Guyon, Giverny or also Vernon are excellent venues for a stroll. There are retail stores and schools nearby, while Paris can be easily reached by the A13 and A15 motorways, or by line E of the RER network and inter-regional Intercités trains, which stop at the station in Mantes-la-Jolie.
The residence dates from the first half of the 19th century and displays all the characteristic elements of bourgeois architecture. The symmetrical, three-storey building stands on a base of cut stone equipped with basement windows. The combination of red brick and light-coloured stone underlines the regular shape of the tall window frames, fitted with louvred shutters and moulded lintels. The roof is punctuated by dormer windows while three tall, slender chimney stacks stand out from its silhouette. The building stands in the centre of a vast, almost 4,000-m² garden and is set back from the street behind a gate and small wall. To the rear, it opens onto a slightly sloping garden. There are several outbuildings requiring renovation set away to the side of the house. A rotunda style 19th-century veranda stands on the south-facing patio. A flight of stone steps, with well-pruned hedges on either side, leads up to the main entrance door. The property's balanced structure and fine proportions have been preserved, making this sober edifice typical of the tastes of an era in which secondary homes had to combine distinction, comfort and openness to the surrounding landscape. Refurbishment work will be necessary but the edifice boasts remarkable potential for restoration.
The residenceThe main entrance is at the top of a stoop lined with stone balustrades and illuminated by two wall lights. There is a vast hall, behind the wooden and glazed entrance door protected by intricate ironwork, which is paved with period cement tiles and leads to the various rooms on the ground floor.
The ground floor
One after another, to the left there are two amply proportioned lounges that are bathed in light. Their period decorative elements have been preserved, such as chevron patterned wood flooring, moulded wainscotting, marble fireplaces and tall windows looking out onto the garden. To the right, a dining room leads to a semi-professional-grade kitchen that opens into the rotunda style veranda, which gives the feeling of bringing the exterior inside thanks to its large windows. It in turn opens onto a patio from which views of the river meanders, chalk cliffs and wooded slopes on the horizon can be enjoyed. This level is completed by a hallway, a guests' lavatory and the main staircase made of turned wood.
The first floor
The light-coloured oakwood staircase, onto which light streams through two windows between each level, leads to a guests' lavatory halfway up. On the first floor, a large landing leads to four bedrooms with similar volumes, some of which boast fireplaces. One of them even has a balcony overlooking the ...
