A town house with a classical style, a garden and a stunning view
in the historical heart of Nontron in France’s Périgord Vert area
in the historical heart of Nontron in France’s Périgord Vert area
Nontron,
DORDOGNE
aquitaine
24300
FR
Location
The Périgord Vert area of France’s Dordogne department is not as well known as the Périgord Noir area, which is famous for its stone roof tiles and its downy oaks used for truffle production. The Périgord Vert region is a lush, unspoilt corner of the beautiful Périgord-Limousin regional nature park. Here, countless streams flow between green wooded hills into calm lakes. You can enjoy a range of outdoor pursuits in this bucolic backdrop. Farming flourishes in the region.
The property is about an hour’s drive from the airport and hospital of the city of Limoges and 50 minutes from the city of Angoulême and its high-speed train station. The house is tucked away in the historical heart of the quaint town of Nontron, just a stone’s throw from shops. The town is the local area’s administrative centre. It is built around a chateau, on a rocky outcrop that overlooks the valley of the River Bandiat. Nontron is famous for its luxury craftsmanship and world-renowned firms in cutlery, tableware, saddlery and leather goods. It also hosts a regular fair in craftsmanship that brings together artisans from all over France and raises awareness of their fine crafts. A renowned cycle route called ‘Flow Vélo’ runs through Nontron too. It follows an old railway over a course of 290 kilometres, linking the town of Thiviers in the Dordogne department to the Atlantic coast in the Charente-Maritime department via the heart of Nontron.
Description
The property extends over a long, narrow plot from a street to a valley drop. The house is built in a classical architectural style. It is a terraced house with a facade that leads straight out onto the street. The dwelling was built upon a medieval cellar. It has three floors, excluding its basement and its loft space. The latter could be converted. The house dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Its street side faces north and its garden side faces south. Its classically designed faces rise up to a gable roof of monk-and-nun tiling. Rendering coats the stone walls but leaves the dressed stone of the quoins and window and door surrounds exposed. The windows are perfectly aligned with one another. Stringcourses demarcate each floor. Solid and louvred shutters protect the house’s wooden windows, which are original features and are laid out symmetrically. A timber spiral staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade leads from the ground floor to the upper levels, including the loft. There is a landing on each floor.
The town house conceals a walled garden behind it. The walls surrounding this garden were built upon the old ramparts of Nontron and its chateau. The property’s commanding position overlooking the valley offers a spectacular panoramic vista.
The town house conceals a walled garden behind it. The walls surrounding this garden were built upon the old ramparts of Nontron and its chateau. The property’s commanding position overlooking the valley offers a spectacular panoramic vista.
The town house
The ground floor
The entrance door leads into a corridor with a red carpet. Beneath this carpet, parquet flooring extends from the corridor to a lounge where it can be seen again. Wooden panelling at the bottom of the walls runs both sides of a double door that takes you into a fully fitted kitchen. An original spiral staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade and a gleaming wooden handrail is given pride of place in the middle of the dwelling. It houses a lavatory, which lies opposite a door that leads down to the cellar. In the lounge, two large French windows with small panes of single glazing and square fanlights flood the room with natural light and offer a view of the terrace, the garden and the countryside stretching to the horizon. The lounge includes a fireplace made of white stone. It is decorated with a scallop shell and stands beneath a trumeau panel of painted wood with a mirror.
The first floor
The noble floor is rich in decorative details and architectural features that are synonymous with comfort and refinement. Two spacious bedrooms lie at one end of the landing. One bedroom faces the street and the other one faces the garden with a clear view of the forested landscape in the distance. Two wooden windows with large panes fill these bedrooms with natural light, making them especially bright. Ladder-patterned parquet covers the floor throughout this level, ensuring harmonious continuity from room to room. Mouldings embellish the ceilings, the radiators are made of cast iron and the old wooden doors are adorned with golden handles. In one of the bedrooms, a marble fireplace stands beneath a trumeau mirror flanked with finely decorated white pilasters. In the middle of this level there is a bathroom with a lavatory. It can be reached from the two bedrooms.
The second floor
A wider landing connects to two bedrooms, an office and a shower room with a lavatory. The floor is adorned with the same parquet as on the first floor. You can also see the same attention to detail in the finishes, which enhances the aesthetic appeal. The windows here offer a view that stretches even further into the distance. They invite you to contemplate the vista.
The attic
You reach the loft via the main staircase. Its area and shape are ideal for converting this roof space. A skylight and a wall window fill it with natural light. The old floor is in a good state. On the garden side, a waterproof cover can be seen between the battens and the tiles.
The basement
A wooden staircase leads down to a basement with the same floor area as that of the ground floor. This basement is divided into two sections. The oldest section dates back to the Middle Ages and takes up an area beneath the lounge. Its ceiling is vaulted and its floor is covered with stone slabs. An opening looks out at the terrace. The other section is more extensive. It has been turned into a boiler room, a workshop and a storeroom on a concrete floor.
The garden
A terrace in the shade of an acacia tree links the lounge to the long, narrow garden. This grassy garden is walled and well maintained. Flowering plants embellish it and trees line it. It includes rose bushes, mock oranges, bamboos, honeysuckles and a hazelnut tree. This vegetation surrounds a lawn that extends to an old wall that was part of Nontron’s former ramparts. From this lush haven in a commanding position, you can see the town and its chateau and admire the green hills on the other side of the valley of the River Bandiat. At the bottom of the garden, a flight of steps and a door lead to a path that takes you along the old ramparts.
Our opinion
This delightful town house combines elegance and comfort everywhere, from its inviting hallway onwards. The dwelling has five levels but it has kept a welcoming dimension with ease of movement around its interior and rooms that are generously sized and well proportioned. One of its most precious assets is its stunning view across the valley.
The house has preserved its true soul and pleasant layout, underlined with use of fine materials. Yet this old home has evolved in recent decades too, gaining colour, contrast and charm and inviting new owners to begin a fresh chapter that looks to the future – just as its long garden draws your gaze to a vista stretching to the horizon and its soaring spiral staircase beckons you upwards.
Reference 462275
| Land registry surface area | 298 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 218.8 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 5 |
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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.
