A former 19th-century food-producing estate turned into a vast family home,
with enclosed, wooded grounds, truffle and olive groves and a swimming pool in Uzès.
with enclosed, wooded grounds, truffle and olive groves and a swimming pool in Uzès.
Uzès,
GARD
languedoc-roussillon
30700
FR
Location
In the Provencal Gard, at the foot of the ducal city of Uzès, close to the National Stud and its famous Driving School. In a highly sought-after region renowned worldwide for its architectural treasures, historical and prehistoric heritage, and top-quality gastronomy with wine, olive and truffle production. The town of Uzès has many shops, as well as a famous market that has been held on the Place aux Herbes for 800 years. Specializing in confectionery, Uzès is also the birthplace of liquorice production, with a famous multinational sweet company based here. 5 minutes from the Duchy of Uzès, 30 minutes from Nîmes TGV station, 45 minutes from Avignon TGV station, 80 minutes from Montpellier International airport and 30 minutes from the A9 motorway.
Description
A typical example of a farmhouse from the end of the 18th century, probably built under the Directoire or First Empire period, and whose owners very quickly decided that it absolutely had to be much more than just a farmhouse. Throughout the 19th century, alterations were carried out until the main buildings became a noble-looking architectural ensemble, just a few strides away from the National Stud. In the 20th century, transformations and extensions continued to make it more adapted to family life, resulting in a group of several outbuildings, all of which complemented each other intelligently. Today, the estate, which includes a truffle and olive grove, is home to a vast, aristocratic-style family home, “La Roseraie”, which has been converted into a comfortable holiday home with bedrooms and suites, and outbuildings that can all be lived in. A boxwood labyrinth, a common feature of 19th-century Provencal gardens, once greeted visitors in the south garden before being razed by a previous owner. It is now ready for a new lease of life. The farmhouse has also preserved a ”pouzarenque”, a fully restored bucket wheel, a rare sight in Uzège, where these waterwheels have disappeared with the motorization of water pumps. The original entrance, which opened directly onto the grounds from the road leading to the national stud farm, was completely enclosed by dry stone walls, but has been replaced by a new gate and a slightly more northerly entrance to free up the grounds. The entrance is now a driveway lined with olive trees.
La Roseraie
Accessible via the east terrace, the noble facade is in limestone from the Uzès quarries. It features a pediment décor with a triumphal crown, very characteristic of the antique modenations in vogue during the Directoire and Empire periods. The pyramid-shaped crown that gives this residence its noble status is reinforced by other facade modillions with arabesque, flower and fruit motifs, set into each lintel. This noble, single-storey facade is linked to the terrace by a wooden entrance door with a fanlight transom. It has a resolutely classical balance, with four symmetrically placed French windows on either side of the front door, each with a wooden storm shutters. Upstairs, five tall windows with wrought-iron railings are also flanked by louvered shutters. To the south, the house has a very different "U"-shaped structure, flanking the central body with two wings set at right-angles, each a storey high, forming a semi-open courtyard. The central body itself is enhanced by an attic floor, which softens the facade. Finally, an external gallery on the upper storey facade, accessed via an external side staircase, links the two wings, evoking certain Renaissance structures. The ancient Roman-tiled roof features a slightly curved soffit, rather than a genoise roof. The south-facing courtyard opens onto a meadow featuring a square pool with a central fountain in the same shape. It is framed by pine, plane, chestnut and oleander trees. The north and west facades are more austere.
The ground floor
The layout of the rooms does not follow the pomp and circumstance of the noble facade. The main residence, with its ceremonial and service rooms, is grouped around the south courtyard, while the apartment on the east side has a living room, kitchen, shower room with a toilet and a bedroom. The walls are whitewashed, and the floors are a mixture of antique parefeuille, cement tiles and stone paving, depending on the room.
The first floor
The first floor is divided into two separate areas, one behind the noble facade to the east, opening onto the grounds to the south and accessible via the main staircase, and the other in the west wing of the farmhouse, accessible from the courtyard to the south via a straight outside staircase. Six comfortable bedrooms, each with an en-suite shower room and toilet, are organized around large spaces. The first space, at the heart of the central body, is used as a library, while the second, accessed via a covered passageway, comprises a vast double-height lounge used as a billiard room under the 5 metre-high rafters. It has numerous through openings and features a large 18th-century stone fireplace. One of the bedrooms, sheltered behind the noble facade, enjoys through-lighting with a view of the grounds to the south.
The attic
The last floor of the farmhouse, it stretches out into the south courtyard and into the attic of the main building, with a single window - in this case, the bull's eye encircled by the triumphal crown on the pediment of the noble facade. In the southern section, there are a bedroom and two shower rooms with toilets, off a hallway. On the east side there is a vast one-room dormitory measuring over 60 m2 with a height of 2.61 m, with parquet flooring.
The outbuildings
Several outbuildings surround the main farmhouse. To the north, a former farm building has been skillfully converted into an elegant, light-filled habitable annex with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom with a toilet. To the east, an elegant detached house contains a vast office overlooking the entrance courtyard, which is extended by a long contemporary summer dining room similar to an orangery, measuring almost 60 m2. Finally, around the waterwheel, a discreet little cottage opens onto the grounds to the south, while to the north, buildings housing technical rooms, in line with the access road to the farmhouse, stand next to a contemporary wooden carport.
The pouzarenque
In the past, every farmhouse in Uzège had its own pouzarenque. La Roseraie's waterwheel has undergone a remarkable restoration, making it one of the last properties to boast a "pouzarenque" in perfect working order. This is a water machine used for irrigation, consisting of an endless chain wrapped around a drum, to which a series of containers are attached that draw water from a man-made reservoir. The driving force was usually an animal and resulted in the water being poured into a reservoir and gutters criss-crossing the cultivated land.
The grounds, Cévennes village and swimming pool
Entirely enclosed by high dry-stone walls and planted with plane, pine and chestnut trees over 200 years old, the southern end of the grounds are home to a unique installation by an architect offering a contemporary vision of a "Cévennes village". Composed of lines and structures alternating carefully squared stones and extremely precisely cut wooden purlins, the ensemble skilfully conceals the rooms used to operate the neighbouring 15 x 6 m swimming pool, as well as a shower room. Surrounded by holm oaks, arbutus and other Mediterranean species, this complex of buildings converses with the romantic parkland of the old farmhouse and its tall trees. The southern boundary is bordered by rows of vines, offering a bucolic view of the surrounding countryside.
Truffle fields, olive grove and orchard
Enclosing the landscaped grounds to the west, La Roseraie boasts a truffle field and an orchard of some 30 fruit trees. The grounds are planted with around 100 mycorrhizal oak trees, which encourage the growth of the precious "black diamond" mushroom, better known as the truffle. This technique, now widely used (80% of current French truffle production comes from it), was initiated by the famous Joseph Talon (1793-1873). Truffle production is complemented by a second traditional local food in the form of olive trees, which enable the estate to produce its own olive oil in addition to its truffles.
Our opinion
A property in a wandering architectural mood. And it owes its unique charm today to this diversity of buildings, set against a backdrop of ambitious Napoleonic classicism. The property's ability to blend styles has given rise to a diversity of uses from which it can only benefit: as a solid family home with its roots firmly planted in the past, as a stopover for passing guests, as a place to sample the delights of Uzège with its dedicated truffle farm, as an equestrian centre that can stand up proudly next to the neighbouring stud farm, as a location for events that respect the surrounding natural environment, or whatever takes your fancy. The triumphant crown on its facade suggests that its future is bound to be bright whatever its destiny.
Reference 310342
| Land registry surface area | 5 ha 81 a 95 ca |
| Main building surface area | 680 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 12 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 320 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 320 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.
