A 19th century manor house and outbuildings, in almost 3 hectares of grounds,
on the edge of the Millevaches plateau, in the Creuse department
Vallière, CREUSE limousin 23120 FR

Location

The property is set in the middle of the Creuse countryside, 5 minutes’ drive from a village and all essential services. Aubusson is around 15 minutes away, Guéret is 45 minutes away and Clermont-Ferrand is 1.5 hours away. Paris is just over 4 hours away. The nearest train stations connecting to Paris to the north or Toulouse to the south are at La Souterraine, which is 1 hour's drive away, and Limoges, which is 1 hour 20 minutes away. There is also an international airport at Limoges. There are several bus routes going to the main towns in the department and the region.

Description

The building and its outbuildings are surrounded by almost 3 hectares of grounds, made up of lawns, fields and copses. The property is protected by a heavy wrought iron gate set into a surrounding wall that runs alongside a small country road. The manor house, which is in typical Second Empire style, was commissioned by an entrepreneur from the Creuse who had made his fortune in Paris. The building is a perfect example of the bourgeois architecture that was very much in vogue in the second half of the 19th century, particularly under the influence of Baron Haussmann. This is reflected both inside and outside in the highly refined features and attention to detail. Built out of red brick and ashlar, the east-west-facing main building has three storeys on top of a basement containing cellars. It has a slate mansard roof and a total of six bedrooms. The main façade features a projecting central section topped by a higher mansard roof. The façade features dentilled cornices, elaborate dormer windows, sculpted stone balconies, external façade staircases, terraces and balustrades. At the rear on the west side, a staircase tower is topped by a pointed hip roof. It is flanked by two lower wings that form corner structures with decorative terraces. The outbuildings close off one side of the grounds and consist of garages, former stables, storerooms, a former service dwelling awaiting renovation, a dovecote and a former gardener's cottage converted into a self-contained gîte with two bedrooms. There were other outbuildings that were originally part of the complex. These have since been detached from the property. The surrounding landscape is a variation of wooded plots and meadows, crossed by streams and dotted with ponds. Outside the grounds, a number of plots, including a small pond surrounded by woodland, are available for sale too.

The manor house


The ground floor
Accessed via a small south-facing staircase, the vast 48 m² entrance hall is paved with cement tiles in colourful, geometric patterns. The hall leads off to all of the rooms. On one side, a former smoking room or small sitting room is now used as a dining room, with windows on two sides. The rich original décor has been entirely preserved. It consists of a painted ceiling, mouldings and cornices, herringbone parquet flooring and a veined marble fireplace. A double door then leads to a former dining room, which has now been converted into a lounge. Bright and airy, it has direct access to the outdoor terrace set on the main façade. The painted coffered ceiling, the high carved wooden fireplace and the chequered parquet flooring are also original and preserved from the 19th century. This is followed by a large lounge measuring around 32 m², with three windows that open onto the grounds on two sides. Part of the floor is covered in herringbone parquet. The rest of the decor consists of an elaborate cornice and a red marble fireplace, topped with a mirror overmantel. Opposite these three adjoining reception rooms, the entrance hall leads to a former kitchen, now used as a storeroom, a separate toilet, a modern kitchen with Boretti appliances and a back kitchen, which has been converted into an occasional dining room. To the rear of the staircase leading to the upper floors, there is a secondary entrance facing west. A door leads to the basement. The wooden staircase and ornate railings are lit by stained-glass windows. It is topped by a painted ceiling.
The first floor
Organised around a landing and a corridor, it has a master bedroom whose window is extended by a balcony in the centre of the main façade. The floor has has a chevron parquet pattern and a white marble fireplace set against one of the walls. The decor is embellished by mouldings and a cornice. From one side of the room there is direct access to a large bathroom with a bath, shower, double washbasin and toilet. On the other side there is a dressing room with two corner windows which precedes a storage room. There are two further bedrooms upstairs, as well as two shower rooms, a separate toilet and a storeroom.
The second floor
The second floor has a self-contained flat, with a living room with a black marble fireplace and strip parquet flooring, in line with the staircase and landing, a modern kitchen with a dining area illuminated by a roof window, two shower rooms and two bedrooms. This is followed by what used to be a bedroom, but which is now used as a storeroom, a separate toilet and a storeroom.
The basement
Accessed through a door concealed beneath the staircase, it extends under the entire manor house. It has a succession of cellars, a boiler room and storerooms. The boiler has three tanks with a total capacity of 4,500 litres for hot water and heating. The floors are beaten earth, the walls are exposed stone and the vaulted ceilings are made of brick or plaster. Everything is lit and ventilated by windows at the top.

Outbuildings

One long building with a slate roof, it has two-storeys with a raised central body with an attic above and two lower wings. The façade has brick facing and stone quoins. It has seven access doors on the ground floor, two windows on the upper floor of the central section and three dormer windows. There are storerooms, former stables and a tack room, garages, a former service flat, a storage attic and a hayloft. A little further away, there is an old brick dovecote and another shed used as a woodshed.

The gîte

The former gardener's house adjoins the outbuildings, a courtyard and a small enclosed garden. Now converted into a gîte with a 87m² floor area, on the ground floor it has a living room with a fireplace containing a wood-burning stove, a kitchen and a separate toilet. The wooden staircase leads to a bedroom on the first floor, lit by two windows. It adjoins a bathroom with a bath, shower and toilet. A second bedroom has been created on the second floor, under the rafters.

The grounds

Enclosed on one side by a perimeter wall alongside the country road and on the other by the outbuildings, it opens out onto the surrounding countryside. The lawns are criss-crossed by gravelled paths leading to the manor house. Horses graze in the meadows to the rear, and the grounds are dotted here and there with various varieties of tall trees, some of which are over 100 years old. Higher up, on a hill, there is a view of the surrounding countryside and beyond from a copse of trees. Close to the manor house, garden furniture has been installed to the south, with a brazier and comfortable sofas, all sheltered by a permanent wooden structure.

Our opinion

An emblamatic late 19th-century holiday home, this property has stood the test of time without losing any of its atmosphere or remarkable original features. The house is easy to live in due to its modern comforts, although some work needs to be carried out to complete its renovation or to repurpose certain rooms. The outbuildings offer great potential for additional development for those wishing to develop a guesthouse or events business. With elegantly planted, easy-to-maintain grounds, the possibility of acquiring a few additional hectares with a small pond, and the immediate environment which is free from any disturbances or intensive farming, the property is ideal to retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life or for a large family looking for nature and space.

Exclusive sale

795 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense


See the fee rates

Reference 883214

Land registry surface area 2 ha 78 a 15 ca
Main building floor area 408 m²
Number of bedrooms 6

French Energy Performance Diagnosis


Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr

Consultant

Guy de Montgailhard +33 1 42 84 80 85

contact

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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.

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