A grand 18th-century country house with six hectares of grounds and a spring, nestled
in the River Garonne valley near the town of Agen in south-west France
in the River Garonne valley near the town of Agen in south-west France
Agen,
LOT-ET-GARONNE
aquitaine
47000
FR
Location
The property lies near the town of Agen in France’s Lot-et-Garonne department, in the country’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It stands on a hillside with a panoramic view of the valley that marks the boundary with Gascony, which you can see towards the horizon. The house is a safe distance from any rise in water level in the River Garonne. This fine edifice is a perfect example of noble 18th-century homes in the Agenais province.
Agen is around 10 kilometres away, as is the connection onto the A62 motorway linking Bordeaux to Toulouse. You can reach Agen from Paris in 3 hours and 16 minutes by high-speed rail, on a line that becomes normal-speed rail south of Bordeaux. This high-speed train line is scheduled to be extended to Toulouse by 2030 at the latest, which will reduce the rail journey from Paris to Agen to only 2 hours 40 minutes.
The road at the bottom of the slope does not disturb the calm that reigns on this property. Moreover, this road is behind a large row of trees.
Description
The edifice stands in a commanding position on a hillside, looking out over a plain and down at a vast two-level terrace. The property is isolated, yet not far from the local village. The grounds cover around six hectares and are dotted with age-old trees. You reach the property via a shady lane that runs up to it from a country road.
A vaulted carriage entrance with paving leads into a square court where, on one side, you can admire the house’s south-facing facade with its refined, symmetrical design that is typical of the 18th century and, on the other side, reach the outbuildings. Opposite, another carriage entrance leads to a swimming pool and woodland paths.
The main building is rectangular and has two floors. It is crowned with a hipped roof of red barrel tiles that is underlined with a sculpted cornice. The roofs of the outbuildings are capped with gable roofs that are underlined with double-row génoise cornices.
All the elevations are made of rubble stone, rendered with an old coating of sand and lime that has been smoothened by the passage of time. Some of the walls are adorned with climbing plants that add a pleasant touch of greenery. In the middle of the north-facing elevation, a symmetrical double flight of steps with a stone balustrade leads down to a vast grassy terrace that looks out over the valley of the River Garonne.
A vaulted carriage entrance with paving leads into a square court where, on one side, you can admire the house’s south-facing facade with its refined, symmetrical design that is typical of the 18th century and, on the other side, reach the outbuildings. Opposite, another carriage entrance leads to a swimming pool and woodland paths.
The main building is rectangular and has two floors. It is crowned with a hipped roof of red barrel tiles that is underlined with a sculpted cornice. The roofs of the outbuildings are capped with gable roofs that are underlined with double-row génoise cornices.
All the elevations are made of rubble stone, rendered with an old coating of sand and lime that has been smoothened by the passage of time. Some of the walls are adorned with climbing plants that add a pleasant touch of greenery. In the middle of the north-facing elevation, a symmetrical double flight of steps with a stone balustrade leads down to a vast grassy terrace that looks out over the valley of the River Garonne.
The grand country house
The house’s style is elegantly understated. The large size and number of its windows make it a bright, welcoming home. It displays the typical traits of 18th-century architecture.
When you look at the house’s south-facing facade, your gaze is drawn to an arched pediment above the entrance. This arched pediment is finely sculpted with a motif of allegory and foliage and the motto 'Pro meritis', the edifice having probably been built for – or given to – its first occupant for their merits. This south wall is punctuated with sizeable windows that herald an interior flooded with natural light.
The north-facing elevation features a giant central pediment, the tympanum of which is ornamented with the face of a Greek god encircled with a wreath of acanthus leaves. Windows capped with arched lintels are neatly arranged into 11 bays across this side of the house.
The ground floor
The main entrance is high-ceilinged with an old floor of cabochon-patterned tiling. It connects to different rooms that are spread out on both sides of the edifice’s central axis.
Straight ahead lies a spacious lounge with a fireplace. This lounge leads out onto the 17th-century front steps, which look out over the valley below. On the right, there is a series of several rooms: a second lounge that is quite roomy, a large bedroom and a boudoir. The doorways that separate these rooms are coffered and embellished with sculpted mouldings. At a right angle to this section, on the east side, there are two bathrooms, two lavatories and two spare rooms that were once used as a linen room and a fitness room but that could be given all kinds of new purposes. Back towards the main entrance, a small room takes you to a 19th-century staircase leading up over four quarter turns to the first floor.
On the other side, left of the entrance, there is a hallway that connects to a dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a lavatory and, at a right angle to this section, a spacious kitchen with a scullery. A flight of backstairs leads up to the west side of the first floor.
The skirting boards are tall and bevelled. They run along almost all the walls of the reception rooms. Wood strip flooring extends across these rooms too and marble fireplaces stand in the lounges and dining room. The ceiling height of the different rooms is around four metres. The windows, which have fanlights, are broad, spanning almost 1.5 metres in width. Some of them are fitted with shutters.
Everything here allows natural light to flood the interior.
The upstairs
The main staircase leads up to a central corridor that connects to different north-facing rooms: four spacious bedrooms, a large library, a bathroom and a separate lavatory.
The flight of backstairs leads up to a suite that is less aristocratic in style. It forms a family unit of accommodation: a master bedroom, a bathroom with a lavatory, three children’s bedrooms and a games room.
Wood strip flooring in very good condition extends across the whole level. On the north side, the windows are double-glazed: in the 1980s, double glazing was added to the existing windows.
The outbuildings
The outbuildings close the courtyard on three sides.
There is a boiler room that leads into the vaulted carriage entrance. This boiler room, opposite the kitchen entry, houses an oil boiler that is quite old. Beside it there is a garage with a concrete floor. You can also reach this garage from the south side. Its large double door leads into the courtyard. Several cars can be parked inside this garage.
A stable stands at a right angle to the latter. It is built beside a caretaker’s home and its floor tiles are in a neat layout. In one corner, a small staircase leads upstairs in a section made for storing hay.
In line with these spaces, in the same building, there are two garages next to each other. Each one has an electric roller garage door. Beneath their whole floor lies a cellar with an earthen floor that can be reached straight from the courtyard.
Lastly, standing at a right angle to the latter section, there is a carriage entrance building on the court’s east side. Inside it, there is a small room behind a glazed wall. It leads into the carriage entrance. There is also a former wine storeroom with an earthen floor in this building.
The grounds
Countless trees of different species dot the grounds. They include cedars, sequoias and oaks. A well with a good level of water stands on its own. This well is not currently used as its hand pump is broken.
The property enjoys water from a spring that has long been drinkable. This spring fills a cistern up with water. This cistern has a diameter of five metres and a capacity of around 120m³. The cistern belongs to the property. The property owners are allowed to use as much water as they like from it, whether to water the plants, fill up the swimming pool or consume water for everyday life indoors, though the house can also be supplied with mains water: deviation valves in the boiler room can be used to connect the latter to mains water or spring water.
The swimming pool is large: it is roughly 11 metres long and 5 metres wide with a depth of 1.8 metres. For its maintenance, the pool’s filtering system needs to be changed. A quote is available for this. The pool's liner was changed four to five years ago.
Our opinion
This delightful edifice is refined and sumptuous. Some renovation work would make it more comfortable and give back its past splendour. The house is tucked away in a beautiful backdrop where nature reigns. Its spacious outbuildings give rise to ideas for exciting new developments: the property could be used both as a private dwelling and for business. It is ideally located too: close to the town of Agen, which is equidistant from the cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux, and beside well-developed infrastructure with high-quality rail networks and motorways. Excellence pervades this rare gem. The possibilities here are as plentiful as the different spaces in this unique haven.
650 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 170302
| Land registry surface area | 6 ha 3 a 12 ca |
| Main building surface area | 700 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 11 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 200 m2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
