Near to Martel, a 13th and 18th century manor house, with a cottage and swimming pool in 18 hectares overlooking the River Dordogne in the Lot area -
Near to Martel, a 13th and 18th century manor house, with a cottage and swimming pool in 18 hectares overlooking the River Dordogne in the Lot area.
This property is located at the tourist crossroads of the Upper Quercy, Lower Corrèze and Périgord Noir sectors, in the north of the Occitanie region and Lot area, 2 hours 15 minutes from Bordeaux and 1 hour 45 minutes from Toulouse via the A89 and A20 motorways respectively. It is one of France's most popular regions thanks to its environmental splendour, historical heritage and gastronomic quality. The location is ideal for discovering the Dordogne Valley (listed as one of France's major sites), the Lot and Célé Valleys, the Grands Causses natural park, the medieval villages of Martel, Turenne, Collonges-la-Rouge and Rocamadour, chasms such as the Padirac cave as well as many castles. The manor house is several minutes from a village boasting all essential amenities and is around thirty minutes from the town-centre of Brive-la-Gaillarde, with its international airport and railway station.
From a dominant position, the property boasts broad views of the landscape stretching out over the part of the Dordogne Valley in the Lot area. It is perched on top of a hill that extends from a limestone cliff and enjoys sweeping views, standing in an extremely well-preserved environment, where there is a rare sense of calm thanks to the great outdoors, away from any hustle and bustle. The estate stretches over a little more than 18 uninterrupted hectares of woods, meadows and landscaped gardens.
The buildings can be found at the end of a long drive lined by deciduous trees. The first is an elegant guests' house, with a garden and several patios. A vast agricultural storage building is set slightly back and houses several box stalls as well as a workshop. The manor house, which is protected to the north by its walls and dense vegetation, then discretely comes into view. A low wall forms the outline of an inner courtyard, one side of which is occupied by a perpendicularly set outbuilding. However, to the south, the edifice enjoys broad, uninterrupted views of the horizon and displays the refined sobriety of its architecture.
Around the residence, the terraced garden is made up of a harmonious mixture of lawns, fragrant flowers, dry stone walls and a variety of trees. Inside the walls, a swimming pool has been discretely incorporated into the lower terrace, blending into its surroundings and preserving the privacy of the place. Beyond the walls, there are an orchard, a vegetable garden, a wood, several old trees - even hundred-year-old ones - and, watching over the valley, a 13th-century dovecote whose private and discrete access contributes to the unique character of the estate.
The manor houseThe manor house's origins are thought to date back to the 13th century, which was a period when a former watchtower overlooked the descent into the valley. The current residence was enlarged over the centuries and is now made up of several sections adjoining each other or set perpendicularly, standing around a round tower housing a spiral staircase and a former vaulted passageway that was the original entrance to the property. The two-storey residence, topped by convertible attics, is made of local limestone beneath a roof of small flat tiles that has been recently renovated. Light streams through the regularly laid-out windows and doors into dual aspect rooms with generous volumes, boasting period fireplaces, traditional flooring and exposed beams, which combine to form a welcoming atmosphere. It has been carefully restored and combines preserved authenticity with potential for development, according to needs.
The basement
The main section of the residence includes a series of three vaulted cellars, one of which is a former cistern with a manhole in the ceiling ...
