The Manor House

The house, emblematic of provincial neoclassical-style architecture from the 19th century, stands out from more ordinary constructions from that same time period thanks out to its remarkable appearance and execution. With understated, high-quality ashlar limestone exteriors, its foundation level is decorated with subtle rusticated stonework in order to provide the whole with a solid visual underpinning, which is, in turn, accentuated by the building’s quoins. As for the house’s decorative elements, they are concentrated around its windows and doors with moulded surrounds displaying sculpted keystones, while a stringcourse highlights the separation between the manor’s first and second floors. Methodically cadenced and strictly adhering to a height-width ratio characteristic of classical architecture, the dwelling’s first-floor windows, some of which have six panes each and are topped by small fanlights, provide ample sunlight for the manor’s elegant interiors, whereas upstairs, the windows, although slightly lower, repeat the same composition, creating a delicate counterpoint to the manor’s heftier lower floors. Last, but not least, the elegant front steps, the central element of the manor’s southern façade, deserves particular attention thanks to its double staircase, the monolith limestone steps of which create two perfect curves and are safeguarded by balustrades with convex spindles.

The Barn

Accessible via large sliding wooden double doors on its northern gable end, this building, with concrete and gravel floors, once boasted a floor area of approximately 300 m². Although its roof has been dismantled, its stone walls, protected from the rain, are still in good condition.

The Independent Accommodations

A ground floor flat of approximately 110 m², in need of a complete renovation, is accessible from this building’s eastern and western exteriors. With three main rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, it has tiled floors, painted plaster walls and ceilings, as well as single-glazed, wood-framed windows.

The Chicken Coop and Tobacco Drying Shed

Located to the north of the main dwelling, near the entrance to the property, these two outbuildings are a testament to the estate’s agricultural past. Built out of stone, the two-storey chicken coop, with a floor area of approximately 65 m², is in need of a few repairs even though its walls and roof are in good condition. As for the wooden tobacco drying shed, with a floor area of approximately 50 m², it is currently used to store the property’s gardening equipment.

The Grounds

Surrounding the dwelling on all sides, like a protective barrier from the nearby city, the landscaped grounds extend over 2.5 hectares and are crisscrossed by gravel walkways, leading to the various buildings, which are then continued by a pedestrian path to the south. In addition, to the east, a vegetable garden and flowerbeds surround an ashlar stone well, topped with elegant wrought-iron details, while, all around the grounds, a curtain of multi-century trees creates a natural rampart: Lebanese cedars, English oaks, limes, ashes, poplars, horse chestnuts, maples, sequoias as well as fruit trees such as figs, cherries, apples and peaches and several more exotic types such as a southern magnolia, a Japanese pagoda and an American tulip, which all bear witness to the collective passion in the 19th century for ornamental plants from around the world.