Once you have gone through the medieval village’s alleys and squares, you reach its south edge where the towering 12th-century Saint-Pierre church stands. The property lies opposite this church. The Château de Vassinhac stands nearby too. This edifice dates back to the 15th century and is listed as a historical monument. The family to whom the seigneurial house currently belongs also owns this chateau. Outbuildings once separated the two edifices, but they were destroyed in the 19th century. From the road, a wrought-iron gate leads into the property. This entrance gate is framed between two pillars. Low walls adjoin the pillars and enclose the house and its garden, separating the property from the road and giving it privacy. Another gate leads in from the lane on the east side and takes you into a large area where several vehicles can be parked discreetly in the shade of trees.

The house has a garden-level floor, a raised ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in its roof space. The dwelling forms an L shape and is made up of two sections with solid bases. The seigneurial majesty of this fine edifice finds expression in its tall elevations of exposed red sandstone that characterises the whole village, in its large windows with small square panes, and in its sculpted surrounds and lintels. An imposing hipped slate roof crowns the house. Lichen has grown on it over time, giving the roof a certain tint. Two monumental three-level chimney stacks of red sandstone rise up from the roof on its east and north sides. And shed dormers punctuate the tall roof harmoniously. On the south side, a stone staircase takes you up to a terrace. From this terrace, French windows lead straight into the house’s raised ground floor. You can look down at the home’s landscaped garden from up here too and gaze beyond it at a vast meadow edged with a building and hedges that stretch towards the surrounding hills.

The seigneurial house

The house is in good condition, but renovation work on its insulation, bathrooms and kitchen could give the dwelling more modern comfort while preserving its historical charm. All the rooms are bathed in natural light as many windows dot the different elevations. A lot of the rooms have kept their original wood strip flooring and fireplaces, which are still in working order.

The garden-level floor
A shady front courtyard with vegetation lies at the foot of a raised covered terrace that leads inside the dwelling. The wall of a neighbouring house closes one side of this court without compromising its privacy. A footpath runs alongside the northern elevation of the first section and leads to the garden, which lies a few steps down. Two glazed doors take you inside the house. One leads into the kitchen and the other one into the dining room. Further down, there is a large vaulted cellar with two doors that let light in. It includes a boiler space and a gardening area.

The ground floor
The spacious dining room has a French-style beamed ceiling made of Limousin chestnut, over four metres up from the floor. Wood strip flooring extends across the room and exposed sandstone with lime pointing forms the walls. A broad monumental Renaissance fireplace warms up this room where convivial meals can be enjoyed. The inviting ambience that reigns here continues in the adjoining grand lounge, which also features a cavernous fireplace. A former cooking alcove adjoins this lounge. It still has an old-style stone oven. The lounge leads straight outside to a rear terrace and the garden via two French windows. A hallway with hexagonal ochre floor tiles leads to the kitchen and a corridor with storage spaces, cupboards and a lavatory.

The first floor
A straight timber staircase leads up to the first floor. On this level there is a first bedroom on the garden side with a bathroom and a separate lavatory. A corridor leads to a second bedroom, which is filled with natural light from three windows. This second bedroom lies on the other side of the house, on the north side. It has its own washbasin room. The corridor connects to an entrance hall and a door leads out onto the raised covered terrace at the front. This sheltered terrace, which could be used as a private outdoor space, features remarkable stonework. From here, you reach the master bedroom with its monumental fireplace and its French-style beamed ceiling, which is around four and a half metres up from the floor. This dual-aspect space facing north and south has three windows that flood the high-ceilinged bedroom with natural light. A bathroom and a lavatory complete it.

The second floor
The roof space has four bedrooms with sloping attic ceilings that you reach from a landing. This landing connects to a series of rooms that includes washbasin rooms, a shared bathroom, a lavatory and a loft space.