In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned from his exile on the island of Elba, travelling up to Paris. He stopped off in Burgundy from 17 to 19 March. There he met up with Marshal Ney. His troops bivouacked on the outskirts of this town and on the site of this property. Almost half a century later, in 1854, during the Second French Empire, a family of Parisian magistrates built a town mansion here in a Napoleon III style. This mansion was transformed in 1980 and became a 25-room hotel. Today, each of the 25 hotel rooms here bears the name of a marshal who served under Napoleon I.

The old dwelling is made of dressed stone and stands on a large avenue. Its slate mansard roof is punctuated with arched dormers and bull’s-eye windows. The property’s original metal railings still enclose it. Pillars of dressed stone are evenly spaced out along these railings, which stand on a low stone wall. The pedestrian entrance is a metal gate framed between two pillars of dressed stone, each crowned with a cast-iron vase. Beyond this gate, a footpath in the middle of a gravel court leads up to a small flight of stone steps adorned with a pair of Medici vases. Vehicles can enter the property via two other original entrances, which are broader. They are located on both sides of the pedestrian entrance and are framed between brick and stone pillars. A large two-floor caretaker’s house stands beside the outdoor entrance area. Nearby, around 30 cars can be parked in a car park on the property.

The mansion’s rear elevation faces the property’s vast enclosed grounds dotted with majestic age-old trees and clusters of flowering plants. There are a few terraces on the grounds and an authentic stone table with old stone benches. This beautiful outdoor space includes a heated swimming pool too. This pool is 10 metres long and 5 metres wide. It is heated with mains gas. Lastly, there is an old greenhouse on the grounds. It is made of wrought iron and needs to be restored.

The mansion

The edifice is built entirely of dressed stone. It has a central section flanked by two adjoining pavilions: a pavilion stands at each end of the central section and each pavilion has two identical bays. The mansion has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor. It is punctuated with many windows with stone lintels and ledges. These windows are fitted with louvred shutters and finely crafted guardrails. A top-floor stringcourse runs along the facade. Basement windows are spaced out along the base course. The architectural design of the pavilions is more elaborate: their top-floor dormer windows are crowned with remarkable pediments featuring decorative urns and their roofs are underlined with a row of pear-shaped balusters. Front steps lead up to the main entrance door. Two lamps are fitted on either side of this main door, which has a fanlight finely crafted with floral motifs. The mansion’s rear elevation faces the grounds behind the edifice. A ground-floor bay window stands out here with French windows that lead out onto a terrace.

The ground floor
The entrance hall is adorned with many wall mouldings and dado panelling. A double-leaf window bathes this hallway in natural light and offers a view of the beautiful grounds. A finely crafted partition separates this hall into an office and a guest entrance. A ceiling rose also embellishes the space. A doorway takes you into a larger hallway where red and blue tones dominate. This space is decorated with many panels, each adorned with a French Imperial Eagle that recalls the place’s Napoleonic origins. Dado panelling runs around the room. A blue carpet with a foliage motif embellishes the floor. This second hall is spacious. Through a large bay window here, you can admire a vista that stretches a long way into the grounds behind the mansion. Wall panelling and a ceiling rose adorn the space. A Carrara marble fireplace beneath a gold-framed mirror heats up the room.

This hall leads to a small lounge decorated in an Empire style. It has bookshelves and two windows that look out at the front court. A delicate, hushed ambience reigns here, underlined by carpeting, red velvet wallpaper and midnight blue edging. This small lounge also features a sculpted black marble fireplace. Wall panelling adorns the room too. Next to this lounge there is a dining room with a mahogany bar. Again, red and blue hues characterise the space. A deep blue tone brings out the wall panelling. Decorative features finely sculpted with foliage motifs embellish the room. And a monumental fireplace completes the rich decor here.

On the other side of the main entrance hall, a corridor leads to an old kitchen, then to a lift that takes you upstairs. There are three bedrooms on the ground floor. They bear the names of marshals who served under Napoleon I. Each of these bedrooms has an en-suite tiled bathroom and a separate lavatory. Two of the bedrooms lie on the north side, facing the garden, and one lies on the south side. Mahogany beds, velvet wallpaper and Empire style carpeting make their design remarkable. At the end of the corridor, a door leads to a spiral staircase that takes you upstairs. The start of the bronze handrail is adorned with a golden sphere. The handrail runs along the stairs, which are covered with a midnight blue carpet in a tone similar to that of the wallpaper.

The first floor
The first-floor landing is fitted with cupboards. It leads to a corridor that has a carpet patterned with a foliage motif. This corridor connects to 11 bedrooms. Some face north, looking out at the garden. Others face south, looking out at the avenue. There is a wide range of sizes among the bedrooms: there are small rooms, classic rooms, superior rooms, luxury rooms and suites. All of them are decorated in an Empire style. Each room bears the name of a marshal who served under Napoleon I and each one has its en-suite bathroom. Some of them have indoor shutters. The colours of the Empire style are everywhere. These colours include gold, purple, blue and red. The bedrooms are all airy with large curtains in the same tone as that of the walls. The mouldings are plain, white dado rails bring out the wall colours and often a ceiling rose completes the decor. The Empire style furniture units are made of reddish wood. Some of the rooms on the first floor have a canopy bed with thick velvet curtains. Others have balconies or large terraces with pear-shaped balusters from where you can admire the surroundings.

The second floor
The lift and staircase lead up to the second floor, which has 10 bedrooms. Some of these bedrooms overlook the garden and others overlook the avenue. Like on the first floor, a long, carpeted corridor connects to the different bedrooms. The higher the ceiling, the more spectacular the view. Some bedrooms stand out from the others for their decoration. For example, one bedroom has a beige carpet that brings out its Empire style furniture and toile de Jouy wallpaper – a 19th-century characteristic. Another bedroom leads out onto a terrace with stone balusters, like the Suchet room where you can see the old orangery. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. All the bedrooms are adorned with mouldings and ceiling roses that are typical of the 19th century.

The basement
The basement has an entirely tiled floor. It includes a large vaulted wine cellar, an old kitchen, a linen room, a boiler room and a technical equipment room for the swimming pool.

The caretaker’s house

This caretaker’s house used to be a stable and a garage. It has two parts: a taller section with a jerkinhead slate roof and an adjoining section with a gable roof and a wall dormer that has a hipped roof and a zinc finial. The building displays red, beige and white tones. Its elevations are punctuated with many windows and doors, including an arched doorway on the ground floor that stands out for its broad size. All the window and door surrounds have the same pattern as the quoins: a combination of red and beige bricks from the local region. The surrounds are also adorned with a white keystone. On the first floor of the taller section, a window has a wooden guardrail in front of it.

The ground floor
The entrance hall has a floor of white stone tiling patterned with small black square inserts. This hallway connects to a fully fitted kitchen with a contemporary design and a utility room at the far end. This kitchen is large enough for you to dine in it. The entrance hall also connects to a lounge with wood strip flooring. This lounge offers a view of the mansion through a double-glazed window. The hall connects to a guest lavatory too. This lavatory lies beneath an original wooden staircase with a handrail.

The upstairs
On the first floor, there is a loft space that could be converted. There is also a bright, spacious bedroom up here and a walk-in wardrobe, a lavatory and a shower room with a walk-in shower. This top level needs to be renovated.