A former hunting lodge set in green countryside, surrounded by two barns, a pond
and 2 hectares of land in the Yonne department in Burgundy, 1 hour 15 minutes from Paris
and 2 hectares of land in the Yonne department in Burgundy, 1 hour 15 minutes from Paris
Aillant-sur-Tholon,
YONNE
burgundy
89110
FR
Location
The property is situated in the centre-west of the Yonne department, set back from a village, in the heart of nature, close to a stud farm. The small town has all essential shops and services, including restaurants, doctors, pharmacists and nurses. It also has primary schools. The village is a lively place with a rich heritage, including a church designed by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc, who drew up the plans and designed the furniture and liturgical objects. He also commissioned the great stained-glass master Bazin to create and install the windows in 1867. The town is within easy reach of the capital by car on the A6 motorway and by train from Joigny station, from which it takes 1 hour 10 minutes to reach Paris-Bercy.
Description
This former hunting lodge was probably built in the 18th and 19th centuries. A lane leads to the property through undulating countryside with woods, small hills and fields. An electric gate opens onto a driveway leading up to the house. There is a gravelled area where cars can be parked. Lush, diverse vegetation surrounds a pond and a pontoon. As you go on, the buildings come into view. The shutters and double carriage entrance doors of the two barns are eye-catching with their pale blue colour, which contrasts with the ochre of the rendering and the brighter tone of the brick bay surrounds and quoins. A large stone terrace adorns the main south-facing house facade, also built of rendered rubble stone and brick, topped by three hipped roof dormers, two of which are hanging, in the four-sloped tiled roof. On either side of the two-storey dwelling there are two similar sized barns, each with a flat tile gable roof and extended by a lean-to with a pitched roof. From one of these, a driveway bordered by a small Mediterranean garden leads to a pool house, which faces a swimming pool surrounded by a stone coping and pergola. The grounds are lush and green, with a well, a carport and a petanque ground. A row of fruit trees faces the stud farm behind the house. There are a few benches and seats here and there, so that everyone can have some space on their own and admire the scenery.
The house
The two-storey, whitewashed façade highlights the many French windows that open out onto the terrace, which is paved with Burgundy stone. The blue of the wooden slatted shutters, typical of the region, brightens the house and gives it a remarkable look. The ornamentation is mainly brick, and is predominantly seen in the form of quoins, bay frames, string courses and cornices. The spandrel of the central dormer reveals a checkerboard pattern of brick and stone, repeated on the chimney stump that tops the roof, adorned with hips and a rooster-crested ridge that also crowns the dormers. Finally, a fully glazed extension, which uses the same architectural features as the house and where the main entrance is, has been added to the side of the main house. It is perfectly insulated. It has an energy audit of A, something very unusual for an old building.
The ground floor
The main entrance is surrounded by imposing glass windows with transoms, while a bespoke oak bench has been set on a travertine stone floor, which can be found in all rooms on this floor. The hall, although an addition to the house, is in harmony with the original architecture. It leads to a utility room, then through a very high double glass door, decorated with a frame made with local brick, to a very large living room, with light that comes in from five double French windows with transoms, which open onto the terrace. The joinery is high-quality, in oak and double-glazed. Vertical and horizontal beams enhance the design of the space, which houses both a dining room and a living room with a fireplace featuring a straight hood, angled jambs and ashlar lintel, and an open brick hearth. A stone slab extends the surface of the hearth in front of the fireplace. Then three rectangular steps lead up to a second, more intimate sitting room, which has the unusual feature of being overhanging and forming a real light well: a window occupies a whole section of wall, providing a wide view of the surrounding countryside, while a double window opens onto the orchard. From the first living room, a door leads to a corridor fitted with cupboards and a guest toilet. One door opens onto a large contemporary kitchen, with a solid beam running through it, fitted and equipped with plenty of storage space, a central marble island and a lacquered worktop. From here, you can catch occasional glimpses of the horses out for a walk. Back in the hallway, a winding staircase with brick-covered steps, light-coloured wooden nosing and a banister with white-painted wooden balusters leads upstairs.
The upstairs
From the fairly spacious landing, decorated with a compass rose, there are several rooms on either side. Like the landing, all of the rooms have straight oak parquet flooring. On one side, it leads to three bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, exposed beams and half-timbered ceilings. Some rooms have shelves or a bookcase. Two of them face south, towards the pond, and the other faces north towards the orchard. The left-hand side of the landing leads to a toilet. This is followed by a bathroom with a rain shower and two washbasins set on good-quality furniture. Another bedroom is part of a main suite, which includes a shower room and fully tiled toilet. Finally, a hallway leads to a wardrobe and a south-facing bedroom.
The outbuildings
Two barns at the ends of the residence, in front of the main facade, each with a gable roof with old flat tiles, increase the property's authentic feel. The first, to the left of the house, is a stone-walled area measuring around 150 m². The facade, rendered in ochre lime, is dotted with several low-arched windows, which are traditional in the region, and doors made of thick vertical wooden boards held in place by crossbars, straps and hinges set into the masonry. The walls have small openings in them, which in the past provided ventilation while keeping out natural light. Other openings on the first floor lead to the attic, which can be converted and which extends over the entire surface area of the barn. At the back, adjoining it, there is an old jam maker, with a surface area of around 10 m² and an antique cauldron. The building contains a former stable with two horse stalls, each with a door with a gate and upper leaf. The first box measures over 18 m² and the second over 14 m². The second barn, which also measures around 150 m² in size, is distinguished from the first by its large carriage entrance doors, which open on to vast areas where several vehicles can be parked. There is also a workshop. Like its neighbour, the building is extended by a lean-to, whose roofs with old glazed tiles, which form ochre-coloured lozenges, can be seen from afar. All of the joinery is in the traditional Puisaye blue and features brick surrounds, as in the main house. The gable walls are made of exposed stone. The architecture of the second building also stands out due to its stone and brick jambs and wooden pillars. It holds a pool house and large patio doors that completely open out, enabling you to enjoy the view over the pool.
The parkland
It is grassed and enclosed, and planted with a variety of species, including Mediterranean species such as laurel. Tall, centuries-old trees, including an ancient corm tree where the property’s occupants like to bask in the summer, form an integral part of the verdant setting, with flowers that carry unique colours and scents: a catalpa, a hibiscus, a lilac, a pink and white magnolia, alongside cypresses and pampas grass, which add another colouring to the landscape. The site also boasts a number of water features, including a fish pond with a pontoon that can be seen as soon as you enter the property, and a swimming pool measuring around 12 x 6 m, with a heat pump and covered with a beige liner that was replaced in 2021. A Burgundy stone path leads to the pool, which is surrounded by a stone-paved coping and bordered by a small garden of Mediterranean plants, overlooked by a wooden pergola, next to a shower. A stone wall with large vents built behind the shelter acts as a windbreak. Behind the house there is a row of fruit trees, including apple and pear trees. A well, which is 17 m deep and equipped with a pump, enables part of the orchard to be watered at low cost. Nearby, a shelter for three cars has been installed, while a little further on in the parkland, there is a neatly laid-out petanque area.
Our opinion
A remarkable, peaceful site, with no outside noise or disturbances and very good energy audits for an old house. A functional, intimate and well-kept property, with buildings that are in perfect harmony with each other, with the main house in the centre. Everything is close by, even though the grounds extend over 2 hectares. Some of the roofs, with their glazed tiles, are reminiscent of the architecture of the town of Beaune, while the colour blue, which is used on all of the woodwork, contributes to the dazzling elegance of the estate. Here, the aesthetics of the past and present are subtly combined with modern comforts. The large indoor and outdoor spaces make it easy to enjoy family life and welcome friends with everything you need to relax and get together in the middle of nature. Fun and unique features bring the estate to life, such as an old jam maker with an ancient cauldron. No work is required on the property.
Reference 199866
| Land registry surface area | 2 ha 26 a 52 ca |
| Main building surface area | 246 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 366 m2 |
Share
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.
