A grand house with outbuildings, nestled in the Avesnois area
of northern France, 20 minutes from the Belgian border
of northern France, 20 minutes from the Belgian border
Maubeuge,
NORD
north
59600
FR
Location
The property lies 20 minutes from the Franco-Belgian border, in northern France’s beautiful Avesnois area, which is edged by Belgium’s Hainaut province on its north and east sides and by the Thiérache natural region of gently undulating hedge-lined meadows on its south side. This bucolic area of rolling fields criss-crossed with many rivers is nicknamed ‘the little Normandy of the north’: it has been the birthplace of countless dairy products. From cheeses and farm butter to yoghurts and crème fraîche, local dairy producers today keep alive this culinary heritage, which is an integral part of the Avesnois identity.
Description
The house stands at the end of a small, quiet road in a town of around 2,500 inhabitants. The property is entirely enclosed with brick walls. A wrought-iron gate flanked with two outbuildings leads into a courtyard that extends in front of the grand dwelling. A second gate in line with the first one opens from the street to let vehicles in.
The grand house
The edifice is made of red brick and white and bluish grey stone. It has a ground floor, two upper floors and a basement. The house is capped with a tall roof of deep-purple slate crowned with a finely cut decorative ridge with finials. A dormer with an arched zinc pediment stands out on the front of its grand roof.
The windows are slightly arched and double-glazed.
A front flight of stone steps with a wrought-iron balustrade leads up to an oak entrance door embellished with stained glass. This entrance is crowned with a row of balusters that form a false balustrade in front of the first floor’s central window.
Two red-brick towers adjoining the side walls flank the house. They are ornamented with stone stringcourses and Greek-style decorative bands just beneath their roofs.
The rear elevation is simpler in style. A terrace of bluish grey stone separates it from the lawn. A fleur-de-lys on each of the two dormers’ triangular pediments is the only ornamentation on this side.
The ground floor
A central hallway with a floor of cement tiles connects to two side rooms opposite each other. One is an office, the other a linen room. At the back of this hall, a double door leads into the dwelling’s main room, which runs across the house’s entire rear side facing the garden. This space brings together a kitchen, a dining area and a lounge. It has many windows and a black-marble fireplace. French windows lead from the room straight out onto the garden terrace. Oak chevron parquet blends elegantly with the kitchen’s blue-stone flooring.
An oak staircase climbs upstairs from the hallway. It stands beside a corridor that connects to a lavatory, to stairs leading down to the basement, and to the garden through the side wall.
The first floor
The landing takes you to a bathroom with a shower, a bathtub and two washbasins. It continues with a bedroom that connects to a shower room and a small office in one of the towers.
A second bedroom, which has a walk-in wardrobe, connects to the other tower, which contains a washbasin and a lavatory.
The second floor
On the second floor, there is a single room with a floor area of around 47m². It is a high-ceilinged space with exposed beams. It is used as a children’s games room and dormitory.
The cellar
The basement offers a total floor area of around 51m², which is divided into four cellars with floors of tomette tiles beneath brickwork vaults. These cellars house a water softener and a boiler for the building’s central gas heating.
The outbuildings
The outbuildings display the same red-brick architectural style as the main dwelling. They each feature a bull’s-eye window and a Greek-style decorative band of white stone.
One of them is used as a garage and a workshop. It has two levels and offers a floor area of around 35m².
The second outbuilding has been converted into a separate apartment that you enter straight from the street. On its ground floor, this apartment has a living room with a kitchenette and a shower room with a lavatory. On its first floor, it offers a bedroom in the roof space. The apartment is currently rented out for €500 a month.
Our opinion
This splendid dwelling is elegant and well proportioned. Its two adjoining side towers stand majestically like sentries. This pair of tall structures makes the edifice look like a sumptuous mansion, despite the house’s modest dimensions. The property requires no renovation work: it is ready for a future owner to settle into it comfortably right away. This delightful home invites you to take your time to discover the local area’s enchanting authenticity and the friendly inhabitants who help give the region its charm.
495 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 990763
| Land registry surface area | 1695 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 193 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 3 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 90 m2 |
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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.
