A recently renovated country house with large outbuildings and 7.5 hectares of grounds
with a river, nestled near a picturesque town in France’s Gers department
with a river, nestled near a picturesque town in France’s Gers department
Lectoure,
GERS
midi-pyrenees
32700
FR
Location
The property stands on the gentle slope of a valley where a small river flows, in the north of France’s Gers department in the Occitania region. It is tucked away in the undulating Ténarèze province of south-west France – the birthplace of the legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan. Not far away, there is one of the region’s characterful ‘bastides’ – a ‘bastide’ is a small fortified town with a grid layout built in south-west France in the Middle Ages. This town offers shops for everyday needs. It is well known for its 13th-century Cistercian abbey. And a former episcopal town with 6,500 inhabitants lies 10 kilometres away too. This town, a stop on the Camino de Santiago pilgrims’ way, offers a range of amenities and schools, as well as a hospital. The town has a vibrant cultural scene all year round with a theatre, a cinema and festivals. The city of Toulouse, with its international airport, is 1 hour and 30 minutes away. And 50 kilometres from the property, in the city of Agen, there is a high-speed train station. From this station, you can get to Paris in 3 hours and 15 minutes by rail. Furthermore, a junction that takes you onto the Bordeaux-Toulouse motorway also lies 50 kilometres away.
Description
The country house is nestled in the middle of the countryside, yet it is only a few minutes away from shops by car. The fine edifice stands in the middle of its grounds, which are made up of vast meadows, through which a river flows. Part of this river is channelled into a moat that edges the terrace in front of the dwelling. Two driveways lead to the different buildings. The first drive runs alongside the river up to a covered entrance passage by the main house. The other drive stretches from the fields to an entrance between two tall stone walls by the outhouses. A country road runs alongside the property at a lower level. The main edifice was built upon a holy mount of the local Camarade parish in the 11th century. Today, the building displays traits that are typical of country homes that were redesigned in the 18th century. Its main section is L-shaped. It has a ground floor and a first floor. A square tower with a ground floor and a first floor adjoins the main section on its west side. The whole edifice offers a 560m² floor area. A second building made of stone stands at an angle to the edifice, on the other side of its moat. In line with it there is a huge barn with looseboxes and an open-sided shelter that completes its east-facing elevation. A little further on, there is a tall L-shaped house with a ground floor and a first floor. It is waiting to be renovated. A request for planning permission has been submitted for this. The roofs of the buildings have two, three of four slopes. They are covered with barrel tiles. These roofs were recently renovated or redesigned. They are underlined with génoise cornices. The elevations are plain. They are made of rubble stone. Ashlar forms their quoins and door and window surrounds. The elevations are mostly coated with rendering, though in some parts there is pointing with exposed stonework. The country house’s elevations are punctuated with windows that are slightly arched and spaced out symmetrically. And the outbuildings have rectangular windows that are spaced out less evenly.
The country house
The country house is made up of two rectangular sections that join each other at a right angle, as well as an adjoining square tower crowned with a hipped roof of barrel tiles. The edifice was extensively redesigned in the 18th century, with tall, arched windows evenly spaced out along the raised ground floor. Its elevations are mostly coated with rendering today. The house looks down at the small river that flows by on its south side. Two terraces – one on the west side, one on the north side and a vast gravelled area on the south side – form pleasant open-air spaces for meals and relaxation. The edifice has been renovated considerably, both in its structure and finishing work. All that a future owner would have to do is choose and install a boiler and fit a new kitchen to suit their tastes. Lastly, there is a self-contained dwelling inside the tower. This dwelling could be freshened up and connected to the main dwelling.
The ground floor
A flight of front steps leads up to the entrance door. You step into a vast hallway bathed in natural light and adorned with a floor of cement tiles. This entrance hall connects to the rooms on the ground floor. Its walls are painted pure white and its ceiling is remarkably high. Its double doors are finely sculpted with mouldings. This sets the tone for the rest of the home, where decorative features with authentic charm have been masterfully showcased through a tasteful restoration with a few modern touches. On one side of the entrance hall there is a dining room. Here, the home connects to the self-contained dwelling in the tower. And on the other side of the hallway there is a lounge with a fireplace of finely sculpted marble with tones of white, grey and pink. This lounge gets a lot of sunshine. Behind the dining room there is a room that leads out through the north side onto a terrace via a glazed door. This room is designed for a kitchen to be fitted in it. In the east wing, there is a row of rooms linked together by a central corridor. There is a reading room with a fireplace that has a wooden mantel, a bedroom with a storage space, a shower room, a lavatory, and a beautiful view of the meadows. On the other side of the hallway in which the staircase leads upstairs, there is a second bedroom. A room that adjoins this bedroom could be turned into an en-suite bathroom or an office. This ground floor also includes a utility room, a lavatory and a bathroom that needs to be freshened up. Lastly, on the north side, a door leads straight to the garage.
The upstairs
A wooden staircase that is straight and modern takes you up to the first floor. It leads up from a hallway beyond the entrance hall. Up here, there are four bedrooms with high, sloping attic ceilings. Exposed beams run across these ceilings. Each of these bedrooms is filled with natural light from small windows in the walls and large skylights in the roof. Their floor areas are comfortable and two of the bedrooms have private shower rooms. This first floor also includes a bathroom with a shower, a bath and a lavatory. You reach this bathroom from the landing. Pinewood strip flooring extends across all the rooms. From one of the rooms, you can reach the loft.
The tower adjoining the main house
The adjoining tower is taller than the south wing of the main edifice. It has a ground floor and a first floor and it houses a self-contained dwelling with three bedrooms.
The ground floor
From a small entrance hall, you reach a tiny room that houses a gas boiler specially installed for the tower’s self-contained dwelling. The ground floor offers an 80m² floor area. Spacious rooms connect to each other via broad archways. A dining room connects to a lounge with a brick-and-stone corner fireplace that has a timber mantelpiece. An open-plan kitchen has been fitted in one corner of the room, which adjoins the main house. Outside, there is a terrace edged with low walls. And a broad, old timber staircase leads up to the first floor.
The upstairs
A vast landing with gleaming wooden flooring connects to three bedrooms: two on the south side and one on the north side. They are all bathed in natural light and offer sweeping views of the lush countryside. A spacious bathroom with a shower and a lavatory has been installed in part of the roof space to optimise the top floor.
The workshop house
The workshop house stands on the other side of the moat and adjoins the barn. Its offers a 160m² floor area. It is a two-level building with a roof that was recently renovated with fibre-cement sheets that are ready to be covered with tiles. Its south-east-facing elevation is lime-rendered. A double-row génoise cornice runs along the top of it. And in the middle of the elevation there is a glazed door. The building’s interior volume leaves space for a future top-floor conversion. The quality of the exposed timber roof frame is remarkable, as is its beauty. This framework could be showcased.
The barn
The barn is huge. It has a ground floor and a first floor. A gabled roof of barrel tiles crowns it. Its floor is paved along its central section. The rest of the floor is concreted. The roof frame and roofing have been renovated. An old wooden floor extends across half the space upstairs. Two tall, broad metal doors on the north and south sides provide access for vehicles. A dozen small windows punctuate the north-facing elevation. Lastly, there is an open-sided shelter with two looseboxes.
The outhouse for which planning permission has been requested
This outhouse offers a 200m² floor area. It is made of rubble stone, coated with lime rendering. The L-shaped building has a ground floor and a first floor. It stands opposite the barn, which is around 25 metres away from it. A tall stone wall stretches from the outhouse and another one stretches from the barn, leaving an opening between the two walls. These tall stone walls suggest that they once closed the property with a covered entrance that has since been destroyed. The outhouse has new roofing. The building could be converted into a self-contained dwelling with four bedrooms, more than 150 metres away from the main house. An architect has already submitted a request for planning permission to convert this outhouse.
The grounds
The grounds are on a gentle slope. They are made up of two vast meadows edged with woods on the north side. A river runs through the northern section of the grounds. It is channelled into ducts, mainly to maintain the land. The river then flows freely between stone walls that form a moat in front of the edifice. It then pursues its bucolic journey to the main river lower down.
Our opinion
Time stands still on this remarkable property, tucked away in a region with fine cuisine, a wealth of built heritage, beautiful landscapes and countless leisure activities. The property is only two minutes away from shops. It would be the perfect home for a family looking for space. Indeed, you can settle into the main dwelling straight away as it has been restored masterfully. The recent renovation of its many rooms showcase the interior’s cement tiles, wood-strip floors, walls of exposed stonework, and old doors and fireplaces. The decorative features of this charming home add to the edifice’s character. The elegant dwelling is bathed in natural light. Outside, it looks down over its moat and out across the undulating countryside that stretches around it. The colours of this enchanting landscape change with the passing of the seasons, bringing life into the interior through the tall windows. With the three-bedroom gîte in the tower, the many bedrooms in the main house and the spacious outbuildings that could be converted, this property opens up a range of possibilities for development. Even the most ambitious plans could be brought to fruition here.
Reference 791006
| Land registry surface area | 7 ha 53 a 75 ca |
| Main building surface area | 560 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 9 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 760 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 560 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.
