An old farmhouse in a hamlet, with courtyards,
a garden and chapel in Sabran, in the Gard provençal
a garden and chapel in Sabran, in the Gard provençal
Sabran,
GARD
languedoc-roussillon
30200
FR
Location
Set away from the village of Sabran, in one of its eight hamlets which are typical of south-east France. These are strongly influenced by the Roman past and today's wine-growing activity. The property has developed over the centuries thanks to the various agricultural crops that surround it. The commune, once one of the most important in the south due to the power of the Sabran family from the 10th century onwards, now stretches from the Cèze river in the north to the wine-growing plateau that gradually descends towards the Tave valley in the south. It is set away from the main roads. A few country roads connect the hamlets in the south of Sabran to the rest of the department. This location has kept the area unspoilt, as it has escaped urban development. The emphasis has been placed on nature and tranquillity instead. Bagnols-sur-Cèze and its shops are 10 minutes away by road, Uzès is 30 minutes away, Avignon TGV station is 45 minutes away and Montpellier-Méditerranée international airport is 1 hour 15 minutes away.
Description
The property is made up of a succession of buildings which were built starting in the 18th century. They originally formed a hamlet owned by a single owner. It is bordered to the north by vineyards going up to the nearby hills, and to the south and west by the village. The main building, located in the northern part of the hamlet, stretches from east to west. It was split in two and more than half of the original building is now part of the complex that forms the property to the north-east. The evolution of the building, which surrounds a courtyard to the east, has followed the changes to the farming carried out: livestock, silk farming and viticulture. There was a silkworm farm, cellars used as stables and wine vats on the ground floor of the former silkworm farm, in the later perpendicular building separating the east courtyard from the west courtyard in the hamlet. The various buildings are one storey high, solidly built on a dozen or so vaulted cellars used for a variety of purposes. The exterior walls are jointed surface limestone, with the exception of the north facade, where the stonework is covered with traditional lime rendering. The various buildings are mainly covered with gable roofs with canal tiles.
The house
This is a modest local stone building in the heart of a hamlet that has developed thanks to the wine-growing activity that continues to this day. Making up most of the built-up area, the house occupies the first floor, while the ground floor, formerly used for the farm's activities, is now home to a variety of secondary occupations. Access is through a main entrance via the courtyard to the east, after going up a straight ashlar staircase, but also via two secondary entrances – the first from the west courtyard and the second from the garden to the north.
The ground floor
The cellars, which are accessible from outside the property in several places, are interconnected. Mostly vaulted and built of stone, they are used for storage (one of them is used to store bottles of wine from neighbouring estates) and other purposes (such as a summer kitchen, a darkroom for photography or a DIY workshop) and as a technical area for the oil-fired central heating system.
The upstairs
At the end of the external staircase in the east courtyard, a covered porch provides a link between the different sections of the living area. The terrace runs along the southern facade of the building, which borders its three living areas. The first, from the living room, where the entrance is, leads to the various living rooms on either side of the floor. A dining room and kitchen also have access to the south-facing terrace, part of which is shaded by a pergola. A great place for being together, the first of these rooms has access to the garden through a French window on the northern facade. Finally, to the north of the kitchen, a bedroom with a shower room and toilet is the most easterly room in the house. On the west side, a corridor leads to two further bedrooms on either side, one of which has a shower room, a separate toilet and, at the far end, the last room on the floor is used as a dressing room. A wooden staircase leads to a mezzanine where guests could stay. Finally, from the covered porch, two adjoining offices are located in the perpendicular building, which is between the two courtyards. The first, which is modest in size, opens onto a second, larger workspace with windows to the east and west. All of the rooms on this floor receive plenty of natural light, with their windows facing south and north. Most of the floors are tiled, with the exception of the corridor and the mezzanine, which are covered with stone tiles for the corridor and a plant-fibre carpet for the mezzanine. During the meticulous restoration work carried out on the house a variety of spaces have been cleverly set out, while at the same time many of its original features have been preserved, such as sinks, ashlar entablatures, exposed roof timbers in some places, marble fireplaces and wooden joinery.
The chapel
Invisible from the road, it is located at the southern end of the perpendicular building, on the ground floor. Quadrangular shape and of a modest size, it is entirely vaulted and the floor is covered with terracotta tiles. It is accessed either from the west courtyard via a door with an ashlar frame and a rounded chamfered lintel, or from the garage via a door in the east wall. The chapel, which still contains benches, a prie-dieu and a stone altar, is a sign of the considerable agricultural and human activity carried out in the hamlet over the last few centuries.
The two courtyards and the English-style garden
Each of the property's two courtyards has its own unique atmosphere. The first, to the east, is framed by high stone walls typical of ancient fortified farms. An olive tree in the centre, and a variety of plants planted around the edges provide shade and contribute to peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. The ground is paved with stone slabs under the covered courtyard to the east and crushed limestone gravel elsewhere. Finally, a former wine vat has been converted into a small swimming pool in the south-west corner, near the garage and a cellar. The second courtyard, running north/south between the hamlet's buildings, is entirely paved with limestone. It is accessed via a carriage entrance to the south, and communicates with the garden to the north via the cellars. Inside, an external staircase adjoining the perpendicular building leads to the covered porch on the upper floor. To the north of the building, accessible from the dining room, the alleyway and the cellars, an English-style garden has been laid out. Colourful flowerbeds, including roses, irises, California lilacs and Mediterranean fruit trees, create a haven of calm. The ground is entirely covered with gravel, reducing the need for watering in summer.
Our opinion
A typical Provençal farmhouse, recently restored while taking care to retain its authentic character, in a region with countless natural, archaeological and historical treasures, and now dominated by wine-growing and tourism. But make no mistake, this is not the Provence of picture postcards. Here, the holiday resorts on the other side of the Rhône have not made it over to this side of the river. The area is straightforward and simple, reflecting a land marked by the Reformation and its quest for freedom. The architecture of the buildings bears witness to this, with their sharp mineral features, plain lines and clean design, their colours steeped in the surrounding nature and materials that bring the spaces to life without artifice. The essentials are here, nothing more needs to be added.
Reference 175623
| Land registry surface area | 1033 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 250.2 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
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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.
