Within a "Petite cité de caractère" in the Perche, 110 km from Paris A 19th-century bourgeois dwelling, service quarters and 2.5 ha grounds - ref 2156
Within a "Petite cité de caractère" in the Perche, 110 km from Paris A 19th-century bourgeois dwelling, service quarters and 2.5 ha grounds.
La Ferté-Vidame occupies the historic centre of the north-west of Eure-et-Loir, at the gateway to the Parc naturel régional du Perche. A "Petite cité de caractère" - a French heritage designation awarded to towns of exceptional architectural and historical interest - it carries a rich built heritage, the legacy of a past both glorious and turbulent. The spectacular ruins of its chateau rise within nearly 1,000 ha of grounds, where formal canals and avenues give way to wilder woodland. Lakes and forests, peat bogs and country paths make the surrounding landscape equally suited to hunting, fishing and walking. The town has a full range of local shops and services, including a school and weekly markets. Verneuil-sur-Avre, a medieval town listed among the "Plus beaux détours de France", is 10 minutes by car; its station puts Paris 1 hour 10 minutes away by train. By road, the capital is 1 hour 20 minutes.
Set in a lane reserved for its few residents, facing a small tree-lined square with no facing buildings, the property presents two façades separated by a wide wrought-iron gate framed by tall pillars. On one side stands a self-contained two-storey dwelling. On the other, sheltered behind a small front garden, the main house sits discreetly back, its ground-floor windows elevated above the sightline of passers-by. A door gives direct access to the house, which extends to around 300 m² across four levels including a cellar. The gate opens onto a cobbled drive running alongside the service quarters and leading to the rear of the maison de maître. This comprises a central block under a hipped roof of flat tiles, with a continuous wing covered in zinc, raised two levels over a cellar. The north-west-facing façade, rendered in ochre tones, is articulated by quoins and stone window surrounds. An entrance canopy at the centre of the main block shelters two steps to the front door, flanked by tall large-paned windows. The ground floor brings together the reception rooms and the kitchen. A three-quarter-turn wooden baluster staircase rises to the first level, where five bedrooms and five bathrooms or shower rooms are distributed. Period features - parquet floors, marble fireplaces, wooden panelling and built-in cupboards - are numerous and well maintained. Ceiling heights exceed 3.50 m in almost every room. A service staircase leads to the converted upper level, which contains two small rooms, a washroom and an attic.
The service quarters, separated from the maison de maître by the access drive, form a long building with a half-timbered façade surmounted by a mansard roof of flat tiles. They comprise the self-contained dwelling, accessible from the street, and a succession of storerooms - former stables, a woodstore, a cobbled garage. The 2.5 ha English-style grounds are entirely enclosed and richly planted, extending in depth from the house, away from public view.
The main dwelling
The ground floor
Reached by a few steps from the street-side door or by a stone staircase on the garden side, the entrance hall has a cement-tiled floor and coffered wooden ceiling, and runs through to the main baluster staircase. To one side, a first dual-aspect sitting room communicates with a second, lit by two street-facing windows and also accessible directly from the entrance hall through a double door. A corridor distributes a billiard room, a kitchen and a dining room overlooking the garden. A lavatory adjoins the billiard room. Floors are in straight-laid or chevron parquet; the kitchen is laid with terracotta tiles. Ceilings exceed 3.50 m and are framed by mouldings and cornices. Each reception room has retained its marble fireplace.
The first floor
The landing serves a ...
