A 15th-century chateau, listed as a historical monument, its dwellings, pond and
unoccupied pastureland, the whole resembling a peaceful hamlet on 56 hectares in the historic Bourbonnais province
unoccupied pastureland, the whole resembling a peaceful hamlet on 56 hectares in the historic Bourbonnais province
Dompierre-sur-Besbre,
ALLIER
auvergne
03290
FR
Location
In the Allier department, the Sologne Bourbonnaise is a natural region between the Loire and Allier Rivers, with wooded landscapes and verdant hills, scattered with streams, ponds, forests and pastures. In addition, the former Bourbonnais province evokes the notable historical lineage of the Dukes of Bourbon who would eventually beget the Kings of France from Henri IV to Charles X. This region, with its authentic and unspoiled heritage, is also remarkable thanks to its plethora of Romanesque churches, feudal mounds, fortresses and medieval castles as well as immense farm properties from the 19th century.
In the middle of France, the cities of Vichy, Moulins, Bourbon-Lancy and Paray-le-Monial, with all shops and services, are accessible in 40 minutes, while, via the SNCF train station in Moulins, Paris is reachable in 2.5 hours. Now easily accessible via the A79 motorway, this region is also only 2.5 hours from Lyon and 3 hours from Geneva by car.
Description
The name of the village translates into English as “stone chateau” and, perched on a rocky outcrop, the fortified chateau with its adjacent Romanesque church has overlooked the surrounding rural countryside since the 11th century. The property for sale takes up a large part of the neighbouring village of one hundred inhabitants with its chateau, four dwellings and a farm, all on a parcel of real estate totalling 56 hectares of unoccupied pastureland, woods and a large pond.
The Chateau
Originally equipped with a complete defence system composed of enclosure walls, towers and an outer bailey, the fortress was then modified over the course of the 15th century, which preserved only the dwelling and defensive tower to the north. A farm and community hub after the French Revolution and up until the 20th century, the building has changed little structurally: organised around an enclosed courtyard with a well at its centre, the chateau was built out of stone over a basement level and under a flat tile roof. With four windows with a single crossbar on its village-facing exterior, its courtyard side is more ornate with a Gothic door and large-cross windows. Listed as a Historical Monument since 1929, its renovations over the past several decades have successfully preserved the property’s heart and soul thanks to pure and simple materials combined with special care and skill.
The ground floor
The dwelling is divided by a shear wall into two large rooms of approximately 85 and 45 m², respectively, which are decorated with terracotta floor tiles, light-colour Burgundy or darker Volvic flagstones as well as exposed ceiling beams, heavily plaster-coated walls and two immense Gothic stone fireplaces, one of which is topped with a sculpted lintel. As for the kitchen, it includes oak furnishings made from one of the building’s ancient beams. Following on from here, in the southern wing, a room is used as both a study and utility room with a shower room, while the northern tower includes a vaulted room, and two spiral staircases – a modern one made out of carefully crafted concrete and an ancient stone one – provide access to the upper floors.
The first floor
With the same layout, this level has terracotta floor tiles and is composed of an immense living room-library as well as four bedrooms, almost all of which have an adjacent shower room. In addition, one of the massive fireplaces is topped with a lintel painted with the La Palice family’s lordly coat-of-arms.
The second floor
Rudimentarily created under the eaves in the southern wing, a bedroom and a shower room precede the towering wooden rafters of the central building. To the north, an exterior walkway provides access to a bedroom with a shower room in the tower, which has views of the building’s soaring wooden rafters all the way up to the roof ridge.
The basement
Under the central building, with both interior and exterior access, a vaulted stone room could be used as a cellar, while a machine room contains the connections to the municipal water supply as well as the building’s electrical panels. In addition, a second room was created more recently in order to be used as a workshop.
The Guest Cottage
In the chateau’s courtyard, a stone dwelling with a flat tile roof, in all likelihood built in the 18th century, contains a ground floor and an attic level built under the eaves. Reconverted summarily thirty years ago, its interior amenities could be upgraded in order for it to be inhabited all year long.
The ground floor
With terracotta floor tiles, exposed ceiling beams and plaster-coated walls, this floor is composed of an entranceway, an immense living room with fireplace, a kitchen and a bedroom with a bathroom and lavatory.
The first floor
A wooden staircase leads to this floor under the eaves, composed of a landing with four bedrooms, a bathroom and a shower.
The Caretaker's Cottage
Located below the chateau and to the west, this traditional timber-framed house is topped with a tall, hipped roof, while its timber-framed walls are punctuated with small oak-framed windows and filled with lime-plastered bricks. Saved from demolition, it was meticulously disassembled and reassembled in its current location at the end of the 1990s. Although currently occupied without entitlement or authorisation, the house has been meticulously maintained.
The ground floor
With a floor area of approximately 80 m², it is composed of a kitchen, dining room, bedroom and shower room, while a fuel oil furnace provides heat for the dwelling.
The upstairs
Under the eaves, this level is made up of two convertible attic spaces with a lavatory and inlets for the water mains.
The Timber-Framed Dwelling
With a flat tile roof, this traditional timber-framed, lime-coated dwelling, located below the chateau, may date all the way back to the 16th century.
The ground floor
Similar to the previous dwellings, it includes a foyer that provides access to a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.
The upstairs
A wooden staircase provides access to a small corridor leading to a bedroom under the eaves, a lavatory, a bathroom and two attic spaces.
The Consorts House
Secluded from the other dwellings and accessible from a long country road that winds its way through the surrounding fields, this stone and brick former farmhouse was cursorily converted thirty years ago, but its finishing work still remains to be renovated following a period of vacancy. The dwelling itself includes an ancient kitchen, a dining room, a living room and various bedrooms.
The Mill
Accessible directly from a B road, it is located below the pond from which it is separated by an embankment. In need of a complete renovation, it is composed of two buildings and still contains a portion of its machinery with its original waterwheel.
The Real Estate Property
With a total of 56 contiguous and completely unoccupied hectares, the estate’s future owners will have the possibility to use or organise the property to their liking. Traversed and bordered by three streams flowing into the pond, the latter, below, but still visible from the chateau, is at the heart of the real estate property with a surface area neighbouring 7 hectares. Surrounded by copses and trees and ideal for fishing and hunting, it existed at the time of the Napoleonic land registry, has been given administrative authorisation and is in compliance with all water regulations. In addition, the pastureland of approximately 45 hectares is located mainly around the farm on a gentle valley, while the woods and thickets are primarily situated around the steep embankments of the chateau’s rocky outcrop as well as alongside one of the streams on the property’s south-eastern end.
Our opinion
The former French provinces are still brimming with lost paradises, overflowing with authenticity, where time seems to stand still. Offering people an escape from today’s frenetic digital and virtual world, this property brings visitors face to face with the simplicity of rough stone, wood, water and earth, all the elements necessary in order to imagine a self-sufficient existence like those lived in past centuries. Thanks to the property’s wide-ranging elements and size, representing the majority of the village, the idea of a fiefdom no longer seems so out-dated, with the chateau at its centre perched on its rocky outcrop. As for the property’s future, it will be up to its next occupants, who will be able to draw on the many renovations carried out skilfully and respectfully over these past few decades, to organise and plan the management of the property according to their own specific vision and wishes.
Reference 743626
| Land registry surface area | 56 ha 45 a 3 ca |
| Main building surface area | 430 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 16 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 600 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 600 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.
