A 16th-century farmhouse with five hectares of grounds,
nestled in the Loire Valley between Amboise and Blois
nestled in the Loire Valley between Amboise and Blois
Tours,
LOIR-ET-CHER
center-val-de-loire
37000
FR
Location
The property is tucked away on the western edge of France’s Centre Val de Loire region, where the Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire departments meet, on a plateau that looks down over a river valley. The home lies beside a hamlet that stretches along a road between woods, farmland and vineyards. You can reach Paris by car in 2 hours and 30 minutes via the A10 motorway. You can also get to the French capital in less than two hours by rail from Chaumont-sur-Loire train station, which is eight minutes away by car.
Description
From a local road, an earthen track snakes through fields over several hundred metres to the property. The complex of buildings stands on a grassy two-hectare plot that mainly faces southwards, looking down over the valley. Three main buildings adjoin each other in a row that runs from east to west: a barn, a 16th-century dwelling and a more recent extension. Around 20 metres west of this three-section edifice, a sheep shed adjoins an agricultural storage building. And even further westwards, there is a one-hectare plot of farmland. To the south, a wooded area covers around 1.5 hectares. It slopes down to the road below. The grounds also include a well and a small lake surrounded by groves on the edge of the neighbouring woods. The house has a 16th-century section, its main part, with a mullioned window that makes it recognisable. Two extensions have been added to this oldest part: one was added on the north side in the 19th century and another was added in the 20th century. The walls are coated with rendering, the window and door surrounds and quoins are made of limestone, and the doors and shutters are painted red. The roofs are covered with small traditional tiles, except for the northern roof slope of the 20th-century section, which is covered with synthetic slate tiles.
The house
A few time-worn steps lead up to the main entrance door. The oldest section is made up of two large rooms, separated by a hallway and a staircase that leads up to the loft. The dining room, which has a bread oven, connects to a kitchen on the north side. Its twin windows face south. The other room is a lounge. A mullioned window fills this lounge with natural light and a fireplace with a stone hearth and a brick hood warms it up. The walls are plastered or half-timbered. Exposed beams run across the ceilings. Terracotta tiles cover the floors. A large room with a brick-and-stone fireplace lies in the 19th-century extension and could be turned into an office. Lastly, in the 20th-century section, a corridor connects to four bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory.
The barn
A barn adjoins the dwelling in perfect harmony with its materials, shapes and proportions. The roof’s south side is a slate-tiled slope. Its north slope combines slate and traditional tiles, as you often find in France’s Touraine province. Inside, the ceiling height up to the roof ridge reaches nine metres. The barn houses a former cowshed with an 80m² floor area and a section with a usable floor area of around 140m².
The sheep shed and storage building
Two outbuildings that were originally used for agricultural purposes adjoin each other. Their walls are made of rubble stone with rendering. Their quoins are made of tuffeau stone and their semi-circular windows have brick surrounds. Brickwork also forms the storage building’s pillars. Sheet steel forms the sheep shed’s roof. A slate roof covers the storage building. The sheep shed is made up of three spaces that have floor areas of around 27m², 50m² and 40m² respectively. The storage building is open-sided and has a floor area of around 68m².
Our opinion
This country property with historical charm is plain yet characterful, nestled at the top of a bucolic valley near the River Loire. The simplicity of this home underlines its authenticity. The place has been inhabited for centuries. Now it is waiting for restoration and renovation to breathe new life back into it. The barn offers precious extra space and many possibilities for development. Depending on the property’s future purpose, the one-hectare plot of farmland could be reduced or increased in size.
Reference 398200
| Land registry surface area | 4 ha 92 a 53 ca |
| Main building surface area | 178 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 403 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.
