45 minutes from Reims, in the Champagne countryside
a 19th-century longère with a lap pool and 3,600 m² garden
a 19th-century longère with a lap pool and 3,600 m² garden
Reims,
MARNE
champagne-ardennes
51100
FR
Location
Established in the north-west of the Marne, within the historic pays of Brie champenoise, the longère stands at the heart of a territory encompassing two zones of protected natural, faunal and floral interest, where woodland, hillside slopes and valleys alternate. The village, sparsely settled and crossed by the river Verdonnelle, numbers fewer than two hundred inhabitants. Set at the edge of a hamlet, the property is enclosed by woodland that forms a green enclave with panoramic views over the surrounding farmland. Everyday shops are 10 km away; Épernay, the nearest notable town, is 30 km distant; Reims lies 65 km away; and Paris is 1 hour 30 minutes by road. The Parc naturel régional de la Montagne de Reims is approximately 30 minutes away.
Description
Reached by a path, the building stands at the property's edge, enclosed by woodland and facing due south towards the garden. Entry is possible from either side through two wide gates. A gabled roof of flat tiles covers each of the two adjoining buildings of unequal height that together form the longère, both rising over two storeys of mortared rubble stone. A third structure, set against the east gable wall, presents one storey beneath a single-pitch roof. To the north, the building is pierced by three bays with solid timber shutters; to the south, the upper level presents wide straight bays with small-pane glazing, while four French windows at garden level give onto the covered terrace or open directly onto the garden. Three roof lights bring additional light to the principal living room.
The garden level groups the main living rooms in a classic arrangement, along with one bedroom and shower room; the upper level contains the four remaining bedrooms, served by a bathroom and a shower room. The architecture, typical of the region, reveals recently restored interiors in which timber predominates, alongside terracotta and stone.
Set apart from the house yet discreetly visible from it, the lap pool is framed by a stone coping and gravel surround. To the east, an outbuilding roofed with interlocking tiles opens by two doors on the facade and a small bay in the gable wall; it extends into a lean-to for garden tools, with a canopy returning on the far side. Deliberately left natural in outline, the garden offers a variety of outdoor settings — sunny clearings as well as shaded groves — each suited to a different way of living outside.
The garden level groups the main living rooms in a classic arrangement, along with one bedroom and shower room; the upper level contains the four remaining bedrooms, served by a bathroom and a shower room. The architecture, typical of the region, reveals recently restored interiors in which timber predominates, alongside terracotta and stone.
Set apart from the house yet discreetly visible from it, the lap pool is framed by a stone coping and gravel surround. To the east, an outbuilding roofed with interlocking tiles opens by two doors on the facade and a small bay in the gable wall; it extends into a lean-to for garden tools, with a canopy returning on the far side. Deliberately left natural in outline, the garden offers a variety of outdoor settings — sunny clearings as well as shaded groves — each suited to a different way of living outside.
The longère
On the garden side, the mortared rubble-stone facade is draped with Virginia creeper and a magnificent climbing rose. The windows, varied in format, are unified by their small-pane glazing. Flowers edge the base of the walls, in keeping with the rural setting.
The garden-level floor
A parquet-floored vestibule distributes the level, giving onto a lavatory and utility room on one side and a large kitchen-dining room on the other. The kitchen combines a wood-burning stove, oak strip flooring and underfloor heating beneath a cathedral ceiling of 5.30 m; roof lights flood it with light and wide French windows open directly onto the garden. A painted timber staircase rises alongside a lime-pointed stone wall to the upper level.
A three-leaf French window beside the staircase wall leads into a lower section of the level, its beams painted, where pantry and sitting room open in sequence. The sitting room centres on an imposing stone fireplace; terracotta tiles floor both rooms. One door leads to the covered terrace; another gives onto a parquet-floored bedroom with an adjoining shower room.
The upstairs
A spacious mezzanine landing serves the upper level, entirely floored in pale pine. It gives onto a first mansard bedroom overlooking the garden, then a corridor. Off it lie three further bedrooms, some mansard and others fitted with interior blackout shutters, a bathroom with chevron terracotta tiling, and a shower room finished in encaustic tiles.
The basement
Reached by a few steps from outside, it is spanned by a stone vault approximately 1.50 m at its crown.
The terrace
Arranged at the west gable of the longère and covered by a timber and reed pergola with duckboard underfoot, it backs onto a stone wall to the north and extends over approximately 10 m².
The outbuilding
Modest in scale at around 10 m², it stands a little to the west of the house. Built in mortared stone beneath a gabled interlocking-tile roof with a small lean-to at one gable, it provides garden storage. An interior mezzanine and a tiled canopy at the rear adapt it readily to other uses, including as a woodstore.
The lap pool
Set well clear of the house yet visible from the principal living room through the large small-pane French window, it adjoins a large weeping willow. Well proportioned at approximately 27 m², its pale stone coping and gravel surround integrate it naturally into the setting.
The garden
Woodland on all sides forms a natural boundary, setting the garden apart from the surrounding farmland. Wide openings at either end allow vehicles to be parked within the property without intruding on the views from the house. A broad sunlit lawn stretches to the lap pool, while a clearing opens beside the rear canopy of the outbuilding — together giving a 3,600 m² garden that feels genuinely rural.
Our opinion
A longère, an hour and a half from Paris, that has held on to its rural character while meeting every demand of contemporary life — easy comfort, generous light, and an openness that older farmhouses rarely offer. Its setting, within a protected natural environment of remarkable biodiversity, offers hikes through countryside and woodland, accessible on foot, in a landscape of fragmented hillside slopes and champagne cellars recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In this scattered village, at a genuine remove from neighbours, the prevailing feeling is of deep countryside, enlivened by a quiet play of colour, indoors and out. The refined recent work makes the house as well suited to relaxed family life as to receiving guests; for those so minded, a small tourism venture would follow naturally.
Reference 844057
| Land registry surface area | 3679 m² |
| Main building floor area | 200 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 5 |
| Outbuildings floor area | 16 m² |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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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.
