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 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.
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
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.