An elegant 19th-century manor with outbuildings, grounds, woodland and an island, bordered by a river,
in the Charente area, near to Angoulême, in a protected natural area
Rochefoucauld, CHARENTE poitou-charentes 16110 FR

Location

The property is situated near La Rochefoucauld, nicknamed the pearl of the Angoulême area, a town with a population of approximately 3,000 and plenty of shops and services, situated just 20 minutes north of Angoulême in an undulating zone of meadows and forest that once welcomed the hunting expeditions of King François I. It is close to the main road between Angoulême and Limoges, which, along with its airport, is less than 1 hour away. It is also 10 minutes from the N10 dual carriageway, leading to Bordeaux and its airport to the south, 1 hour and 40 minutes away, and Paris to the north, 4 hours and 30 minutes away. High-speed TGV trains take precisely 1 hour 50 minutes to reach Paris from Angoulême.

Description

This residence, built in the middle of a protected natural area of woodland and meadows, can only be seen from the nearby road to the northeast through main entrance gate. On the other side of the manor, to the southwest, there is a large, 200-m long esplanade, followed by a meadow and bordered by a river to the south, in which an island divides the waterway into two branches. Along with woodland on the other side, it is part of the estate’s 8.5 hectares of land. To the north of the manor, the woodland and meadows are dotted with outbuildings such as garden huts, a greenhouse, a chapel and three horse box stalls.

The manor

This rectangular, two-storey building built in 1853 boasts a cellar and attic as well as a steep hipped slate roof with zinc ridge caps. White stone window and door frames, which are arched to the southwest and rectangular to the northeast, stand out from the rendered façades. The windows with diagonal panes are equipped with shutters painted in a typical local blue hue. To the southwest, there are 8 vertical rows of openings and seven on the entrance gate side.


The ground floor
The entrance door opens into a hall from which rises a double quarter-turn elm wood staircase whose elegant balustrade culminates in the frame of the stairwell. Through an arched, glazed door after the staircase, there is a corridor leading to a hallway that opens onto the grounds as well as the kitchen with a tiled floor and large cupboards with tall wooden doors. The other rooms have wood stripped flooring. Next to the kitchen, on the same side as the grounds, there is a dining room with blue painted walls and a white ceiling with a cornice and ceiling rose. Opposite, there is a first lounge with pastel yellow walls, a marble fireplace, a 19th-century ceiling and an alcove containing a terracotta bust of Marie-Antoinette. Adjacent to this is a smaller, red-painted lounge with a door into the entrance corridor, then another lounge with white walls and a stone fireplace with a carved cornice depicting a gentleman in a shirt. The lavender blue ceiling with exposed beams and joists boasts a main beam with a convex inner face decorated with small rectangular framed paintings depicting vegetables and landscapes. On the other side from the lounges, the corridor leads to a sitting room with wood panelled walls, a lavatory and a bedroom that has a view of a statue of Saint Michael the Archangel. At its end, there is a bathroom illuminated by a tulip lamp, in which there are ochre-coloured walls and period furniture, and there is also a lavatory.
The upstairs
The staircase leads to a landing with time-burnished wood stripped flooring. A corridor running through the level separates two large bedrooms, each of which has three windows and a marble corner fireplace. The first looks out over the statue of Saint Michael the Archangel and the second overlooks the esplanade. A third bedroom stands next to an office with a partition wall and bay window, providing views of the outside through a window in the hallway which leads to a games room with a painted wooden ceiling. The attic can be reached from this games room, via a small, enclosed staircase in the corner, underneath which there is a lavatory. Around this vast space, doors lead to two further bedrooms and three bathrooms with lavatories. The baths are set in alcoves with cornices and the walls of one of the bathrooms are decorated with paintings depicting 16th-century river scenes.

The outbuildings

Near to the manor house, to the north, there is a building used as a workshop and garage, hidden behind tall trees. There is also a 5-metre diameter pool with blue and white mosaic tiling and a conical roof. Further to the north, another building housing three box stalls looks onto a meadow.

The grounds

To the northeast of the entrance to the residence, there is a circular pond with a statue of Saint Michael the Archangel slaying the dragon, which symbolises Satan. On either side of this area, there are large trees, including magnolias. On the other side of the manor house, the esplanade that stretches over 200 metres is bordered by a river, along the banks of which stand a bald cypress, a Himalayan cedar planted more than 150 years ago standing more than 40 metres tall, as well as many other tree types brought back from the east by the estate’s creator. A footbridge links the grounds to an island. To the north of the esplanade, a centuries-old oak tree marks out woodland with paths running through it in a star shape. On the other side, beyond the orchard, remarkable trees such as a chestnut with generously sized pods, yew trees and a row of arbours embellish the garden.

Our opinion

This prime property should be contemplated as if viewing the famous painting The Girl with a Pearl Earring: the residence as the main figure in front of the perspective of the grounds, with the river as the pearl, though the scene was not painted by Vermeer, but designed by an astonishing and enlightened merchant known as the ‘pockmarked one of the Indies’. He was a 19th-century purveyor in Angoulême who made his fortune in the Indies before returning to his homeland late in life to enjoy the calm of nature, lulled by the waters of the river. In memory of him, a path through the woodland bears the name of Ferney Voltaire. Would he ever have imagined that 150 years later, the Himalayan cedar he brought back and planted would grow to almost 50 metres in height?! In addition to its historical significance, the estate also boasts much recreational potential: the river is a category 2 fishing waterway, it is possible to go canoeing and kayaking from its banks and there are also plenty of possibilities for horse riding on the estate around the manor, which has retained its special old-world atmosphere but with the utmost modern comfort, which is rather unique.

1 650 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense


See the fee rates

Reference 349531

Land registry surface area 8 ha 44 a 93 ca
Main building surface area 480 m2
Number of bedrooms 9
Outbuilding surface area 200 m2

French Energy Performance Diagnosis

Consultant

Ariel Dormeau +33 1 42 84 80 85

contact

Share

send to a friend Pinterest linkedin Facebook

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.

By continuing your navigation, you accept the use of cookies to offer you services and offers adapted to your centers of interest and to measure the frequentation of our services. Learn more