A historical residence, with an outbuilding and a landscaped garden, in the upper reaches of Deauville, overlooking the town and the sea - ref 445285
A historical residence, with an outbuilding and a landscaped garden, in the upper reaches of Deauville, overlooking the town and the sea.
This property is located in Normandy, in Deauville, the most emblematic seaside resort on the Côte Fleurie coastline, renowned for its Belle Époque style villas, its half-timbered houses, its long sandy beach bordered by its famous wooden walkways and not forgetting its grand casino, golf courses, horse racing and American Film Festival. The house can be found several minutes by car or bicycle from the town centre. The Pays d'Auge countryside and its picturesque villages as well as the D-Day landing beaches are nearby, while Paris is within two hours' reach.
The property stands on the slopes of historical Deauville, in the former village of Dosville dating from the 12th century. It can be reached via a slightly winding, wooded road leading up to a discrete gate. From there, a drive lined with Portugal laurels and cypress trees leads to a parking area before reaching the garden tucked away behind a wall of foliage.
The former presbytery, whose architecture has evolved over the centuries, stands at the end of the garden, slightly lower down. It was erected in the 12th century and displays remarkable architectural continuity: successive transformations and additions have enhanced its standing without altering its harmony.
The main residence is south-facing and has an elongated shape, topped with a gabled roof made of flat tiles, punctuated by hipped dormer windows and tall brick chimney stacks characteristic of old buildings in the Pays d'Auge sector. The walls made of bright, light-yellow rubble stone, pointed with lime, strike a contrast with the old, dark-coloured carved wooden doors. At the right-hand end of the house, there is a glazed veranda with views over Deauville and the sea on one side and the curate's garden on the other. The left-hand end is made up of the 18th-century chapel that today houses a spacious living room adjacent to the rest of the building.
A half-timbered protruding section topped by a triangular gable stands out from the main façade and overhangs a wooden balcony that can be reached via a both picturesque and functional external flight of steps. The blue shutters, climbing plants and flowerbeds soften the stringency of the residence, allowing the edifice to blend into its environment.
The property is enclosed and protected by hedges and buildings: to the left, an 18th-century stone outbuilding runs alongside the street, while to the right, another outbuilding separates it from neighbouring houses.
The main residenceThis former priest's house has changed over the centuries, displaying marks of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and 18th century. The craft-made, wood and stone sculptures, massive doors adorned with period ironwork and locks, as well as sculptures dotted around the façades convey this long-standing architectural heritage.
Beneath the lintels and along the half-timbering, knights in armour carved into the wood support the eaves and seem to stand as sentinels over the house.
Higher up on the building, crowned or holy figures are sheltered in small Gothic niches, paying witness to the refined artistry of yesteryear's carpenters and sculptors. On the façade, two hieratic and solemn saints carved into the stone bring to mind Romanesque statues. Not much further away, a stone hermit with an open book and prayer beads in his hand seems to be deep in thought.
On this edifice, knights, kings and saints make up a veritable testament in stone and wood, celebrating the faith, bravura and spirit of the place.
The ground floor
The composition of the house is complex, meaning all is revealed little by little, following an architectural treasure hunt. There are several doors on the south façade, all of which can serve as ...
