A manor house from the 18th century, on the banks of the royal Loire River, two hours from Paris, within the greater Burgundy region - ref 925523
A manor house from the 18th century, on the banks of the royal Loire River, two hours from Paris, within the greater Burgundy region.
The dwelling is located on the western side of Burgundy and the Nièvre department, within a medieval city, perched on the banks of the Loire, while essential shops for daily life are accessible on foot via a 16th-century bridge. In addition, Nevers can be reached in 30 minutes by car, whereas the town's SNCF train station provides rail service to the Paris-Bercy station in two hours.
Recognised as a "City of Art and History", it includes, in particular, a church known for its radiating chapel and double tympanum façade, which was the second largest in France, after the one in Cluny, during the Middle Ages. As for the Benedictine priory, listed as a National Historical Monument in 1840, it was, more recently, named a Unesco World Heritage Site, as were the region's many routes along the Way of St. James.
Last, but not least, 12th-century defensive ramparts, built around the city, are visible from the property.
Near the dwelling, large expanses of lawn, planted with tall trees and scattered with benches, face the river and city's ramparts, while the lane that leads to the property is currently closed to vehicles, which guarantees a quiet environment, a rare commodity within an urban setting.
Accessible via a wooden gate, painted white, which opens on to a courtyard with many varieties of flowering plants, the property features a large Burgundy stone patio behind the dwelling and to the south, bordered by verdant vegetation. From here, a rubble stone wall runs alongside a drive and leads to an old, ornately carved wooden door giving on to the street that provides access to the bridge spanning the Loire.
Built in 1729 and with three storeys - a garden level and two upper floors - the manor house has had several occupants over its history, including the former spouse of Gaston Defferre, who loved admiring the Loire from her bedroom, whereas in front of the dwelling, a small, finely crafted wooden patio, which provides glimpses of several flowering shrubs below, gives on to the courtyard via a staircase and skirts the first floor, which enjoys unobstructed views of the river.
As for the main façade, it is cadenced by several windows, primarily fitted with small glass panes, while the glass double door main entrance, accessible from the courtyard via the wooden staircase, is topped with a fanlight. Crowned with a three-sided Mansard roof, the lower and steeper of its two sloping sections is punctuated by dormers with pediments typical of the 18th century, whereas the dwelling's louvred shutters, painted white, and its window/door surrounds, in ashlar limestone, are highlighted by the roof's rectangular natural slate shingles, which were recently replaced.
The Manor House
The ground floor
The dwelling's front door opens on to an immense dual-aspect entrance hall, with a black and white checquered tile floor, as well as a second entrance, directly opposite, which opens on to the rear patio, located behind the dwelling. The space, bathed in light by two sets of glass double doors on either side, provides access to a fitted kitchen, with a geometric-patterned ceramic tile floor, while a small inconspicuous door opens directly on to the dining room, featuring a grey marble fireplace and a gilded trumeau mirror.
As for the honey-coloured, straight-plank parquet floor, it showcases the room's moulded doorframes and large-panelled wainscoting, which runs along the length of the wall and is topped with a cymatium, whereas three windows, including a smaller one off to the side, makes it possible to enjoy views of the city and its ramparts in their entirety.
Directly opposite, a living room, featuring a sculpted stone fireplace, topped with a trumeau, herringbone parquet and ...
