45 minutes from Reims, in the Champagne countryside A 19th-century longère with a lap pool and 3,600 m² garden - ref 844057
45 minutes from Reims, in the Champagne countryside A 19th-century longère with a lap pool and 3,600 m² garden.
Established in the north-west of the Marne, within the historic pays of Brie champenoise, the longère stands at the heart of a territory encompassing two zones of protected natural, faunal and floral interest, where woodland, hillside slopes and valleys alternate. The village, sparsely settled and crossed by the river Verdonnelle, numbers fewer than two hundred inhabitants. Set at the edge of a hamlet, the property is enclosed by woodland that forms a green enclave with panoramic views over the surrounding farmland. Everyday shops are 10 km away; Épernay, the nearest notable town, is 30 km distant; Reims lies 65 km away; and Paris is 1 hour 30 minutes by road. The Parc naturel régional de la Montagne de Reims is approximately 30 minutes away.
Reached by a path, the building stands at the property's edge, enclosed by woodland and facing due south towards the garden. Entry is possible from either side through two wide gates. A gabled roof of flat tiles covers each of the two adjoining buildings of unequal height that together form the longère, both rising over two storeys of mortared rubble stone. A third structure, set against the east gable wall, presents one storey beneath a single-pitch roof. To the north, the building is pierced by three bays with solid timber shutters; to the south, the upper level presents wide straight bays with small-pane glazing, while four French windows at garden level give onto the covered terrace or open directly onto the garden. Three roof lights bring additional light to the principal living room.
The garden level groups the main living rooms in a classic arrangement, along with one bedroom and shower room; the upper level contains the four remaining bedrooms, served by a bathroom and a shower room. The architecture, typical of the region, reveals recently restored interiors in which timber predominates, alongside terracotta and stone.
Set apart from the house yet discreetly visible from it, the lap pool is framed by a stone coping and gravel surround. To the east, an outbuilding roofed with interlocking tiles opens by two doors on the facade and a small bay in the gable wall; it extends into a lean-to for garden tools, with a canopy returning on the far side. Deliberately left natural in outline, the garden offers a variety of outdoor settings - sunny clearings as well as shaded groves - each suited to a different way of living outside.
The longèreOn the garden side, the mortared rubble-stone facade is draped with Virginia creeper and a magnificent climbing rose. The windows, varied in format, are unified by their small-pane glazing. Flowers edge the base of the walls, in keeping with the rural setting.
The garden-level floor
A parquet-floored vestibule distributes the level, giving onto a lavatory and utility room on one side and a large kitchen-dining room on the other. The kitchen combines a wood-burning stove, oak strip flooring and underfloor heating beneath a cathedral ceiling of 5.30 m; roof lights flood it with light and wide French windows open directly onto the garden. A painted timber staircase rises alongside a lime-pointed stone wall to the upper level.
A three-leaf French window beside the staircase wall leads into a lower section of the level, its beams painted, where pantry and sitting room open in sequence. The sitting room centres on an imposing stone fireplace; terracotta tiles floor both rooms. One door leads to the covered terrace; another gives onto a parquet-floored bedroom with an adjoining shower room.
The upstairs
A spacious mezzanine landing serves the upper level, entirely floored in pale pine. It gives onto a first mansard bedroom overlooking the garden, then a corridor. Off it lie three further bedrooms, some ...
