A late 18th-century bourgeois townhouse,
with a pavilion and garden, 30 minutes from Paris
with a pavilion and garden, 30 minutes from Paris
Brunoy,
ESSONNE
ile-de-france
91800
FR
Location
This property is approximately 20 km to the southeast of Paris, in the Essonne area, on a meander of the River Yerres and on the edge of the Sénart Forest. The town was a former seigniorial fiefdom and part of the royal estate. It was of particular appeal to the great and good of the country, as well as artists, whose visits helped it to transform into a suburb for relaxation in the late 19th century. It has retained the illustrious mansions of this period and boasts all necessary convenience shops and services. The property is located near to the town centre, just a short walk from an RER station, allowing Paris to be reached in 30 minutes. It is near to the A6 motorway, the N6 and N7 major roads as well as the Francilienne outer ring road network.
Description
The property is located behind a large, white, wrought-iron gate. Behind the entrance gate, the residence, which was built in the late 18th century and early 19th century, rises up from the middle of a landscaped and fully stone walled garden that is not overlooked. It boasts a typical Directory era style with a triangular pediment and rectangular layout.
The façade that overlooks the garden boasts a flight of stone steps leading to a stoop. Both are adorned with a wrought-iron banister and guard-rail topped by an awning all the way along the stoop. At the edge of the house, there is a pavilion which has recently been converted into an estate keeper’s house.
Lastly, in front of the edifice, in the ornamental garden, there is a pond and a former dovecote.
The façade that overlooks the garden boasts a flight of stone steps leading to a stoop. Both are adorned with a wrought-iron banister and guard-rail topped by an awning all the way along the stoop. At the edge of the house, there is a pavilion which has recently been converted into an estate keeper’s house.
Lastly, in front of the edifice, in the ornamental garden, there is a pond and a former dovecote.
The house
The residence is renowned as one of the town’s most illustrious and boasts links to former government functions. This house used to belong to the Count of Provence’s property administrator. It was purchased by François-Joseph Talma in 1815 for the children he had with Jacqueline Bazile, which earned it the nickname of ‘house of the nannies’. He was considered to be the greatest actor of his time and was a friend of Napoleon Bonapart, as well as a member of the Comédie-Française state theatre under the First French Empire. He welcomed the Parisian art and literature jet-set here, including Lamartine.
The ground floor
The main entrance opens onto a large, central, quarter-turn staircase as well as a hall that leads to several rooms: to the right there is a lounge with a black marble fireplace and moulded ceiling, while to the left, one after another, there is a dining room with a ceiling adorned with moulding and a black marble fireplace as well as oakwood, chevron-patterned flooring, followed by a well-lit kitchen with an old stone sink and large cupboards. From the kitchen, one of the cellars can be reached, which is used as a pantry.
The first floor
To the left of the landing, there is a first bedroom with ceiling moulding and a white marble fireplace, as well as oakwood, chevron-patterned flooring and a small en suite bathroom. To the right, there is a second bedroom with moulding and wood stripped flooring, which is followed by a small corridor leading to a bathroom and another bedroom, boasting a red marble fireplace. Light streams into this room thanks to the tall windows.
The second floor
On the second floor, to the left of the landing there are two bedrooms with sloping roofs. The first has a washbasin, while the second has a small en suite bathroom. To the right, a hallway leads to a sixth bedroom as well as a ladder climbing up to the loft. The flooring on this level is made of terracotta tiles.
The basement
The second cellar, which is vaulted with exposed rubble stone walls, can be reached from the outside, via a door below the stoop. It houses a gas boiler and the flooring is made up of terracotta tiles.
The outbuildings
There are a former dovecote and a pavilion with a surface of almost 100 m². In the pavilion, on the ground floor there is a garage of approximately 21 m² with a patio door opening onto the garden, a workshop of around 5 m² and an adjacent room with a surface of almost 11 m². On the almost 50-m² upper floor, there is a small kitchen, a vast room with period wood flooring, a small bathroom and a room that can be converted into a bedroom. There is also a small garden shed.
The garden
A stone wall encloses the garden, which is adorned by lush vegetation and trees planted in the 19th century, such as plane trees, maples and yews. There is also a rockery pond with a fountain, decorated by a statue of a child holding a basin in its arms.
Our opinion
This rare and illustrious residence is brimming with history and exudes a romantic spirit. Its bucolic setting just five minutes from the forest allows occupants to take advantage of town life while being very close to nature. All the necessary shops and facilities as well as a station are nearby.
This harmonious building full of character has, in spite of some superficial wear over time, retained almost all of its period materials. It boasts the prospect of a harmonious lifestyle and the possibility - after necessary redecoration of the main residence and renovation of the outbuilding - of fulfilling a number of family or independent projects, in order to make this haven of tranquillity a lasting one.
Reference 214344
| Land registry surface area | 2207 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 160 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 100 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 50 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.
