An 18th century house and its outbuildings
built on a hill overlooking the river Loire
built on a hill overlooking the river Loire
Saumur, MAINE-ET-LOIRE
pays-de-loire
49400
FR
Location
This property stands looking down on a village, with a few shops, on the banks of the river Loire. 15 minutes from the town of Saumur, its castle and the famous Cadre-Noir (French National Riding School). Also 15 minutes from its train station, with 30-minute links to the towns of Angers and Tours several times a day. 1½ hours from Paris by TGV train.
Description
A little road, going through the vines, comes to an end in front of the entrance gates and an outside parking area which is surrounded by hedges, keeping the house and its outbuildings out of sight. The house faces the garden with a barn on the east side and two other, partially converted outbuildings on the west side. The grounds are laid out over the hillside, dominating the Loire Valley. The west wall of the property, composed of dressed stone, still features traces of the old castle, demolished in 1830. The clear view reveals no nearby neighbours. A mule track composed of a flight of wide, shallow steps and a flintstone path leaves from the property, going down to the road below. A vegetable garden and an orchard are behind the barn. The grounds are partially enclosed by walls.
The main house
Once part of the nearby Royal Fontevraud Abbey, this house is simply abounding in history. It was constructed in the 18th century on foundations dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries and comprises a main building with a Louis XIII style pavilion, adjoining its south gable. This 2-storey house, built entirely of freestone, is topped with slate roofs, featuring roof dormers. All the framing surrounding the openings in the main building is arched.
Ground floor
The vestibule, laid out in the main building, provides access, on one side, to a kitchen and, on the other, to two adjoining lounges. In the entrance vestibule, a toilet and a storage area. In the kitchen, a freestone fireplace and terracotta floor tiles, inlaid with wood. This kitchen opens on to a shady terrace behind the house. It is adjoined by a fitted back kitchen. Both lounges, looking out over the garden and the terraces, feature freestone fireplaces and terracotta floor tiles. The bigger of these two rooms has a view over the river Loire. A wooden stairway goes upstairs from this same room. This level has French ceilings throughout.
First floor
The stairway goes up first of all to a dressing room on a mezzanine and, then, to the first-floor landing which opens into a corridor. The latter leads to a first bedroom, with a bathroom, three other bedrooms and a second bathroom. The first bedroom features a freestone fireplace as well as a view over the garden and the Loire Valley. A last bedroom, in the east pavilion, can be reached solely via an outside stairway. All the rooms on this level have French ceilings.
The outbuildings
A storage room, adjoining the main house can be reached via the terrace.
Vast carriage doors set in the pavilion facade now open into a woodshed, once the main entrance to the house. In the garden, near to the vegetable garden and the mule track, a freestone barn, with a section used for storage purposes and a section in use as a garage, can be reached from the parking area.
A freestone building, spanning two levels, including an attic floor, stands facing the terrace, near to the parking area. It comprises a workshop, a machine room and several storage rooms on the ground floor, whilst the floor above is taken up by an attic, with an exposed roofing framework.
Guest house
The section of the property constructed on the foundations of the 15th century castle is laid out as a guest house. Standing on the hillside, it comprises a bedroom on the ground floor and a shower room on a mezzanine. It has French ceilings and terracotta floor tiles throughout.
Underneath the guest house, a set of troglodyte cellars can still be reached via a spiral stone stairway.
Our opinion
This residence, with its sober architecture, is a perfect example of the buildings to be found in the Loire Valley. Furthermore, it is in a particularly outstanding setting since it is doubly protected from being in a sector classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and in the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park.
Perched above a village, between the river Loire and the vines, it meets all the conditions required for recharging one’s batteries under the setting sun, with a panorama worthy of one of Turner’s paintings.
Reference 583138
| Land registry surface area | 12411 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 300 m2 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 200 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 6 |
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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.
