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Louis XIII castle, facing the Seine, near to Fontainebleau, 50 km south of Paris
Location
In the south of the French department of Seine & Marne, 50 km (31 miles) from Paris. Facing south, the Seine and the Fontainebleau forest, on the outskirts of a village, two hundred or so yards from a marina. With all shops and amenities, infant and junior schools in the village.
A6 and A4 motorways. Regional buses - school bus.
French SNCF Bois-le-Roi train station (with free parking) putting Paris 30 minutes away.
Description
The property.
Originally a hunting lodge, the main central building dated 1595, is based on, and by the same architect as, a pavilion in the section of Fontainebleau castle known as the “Quartier Henri IV”. The wings were added at the beginning of the 18th century and small terraces featuring pear-shaped balusters were added on both sides in the 19th century in order to provide direct access to the cellar from inside the building.
The castle underwent complete restoration works in the middle of the twentieth century supervised by the brother-in-law of the owner at the time, who was an architect for “Bâtiments de France”.
In 2001, the current owners added the modern-day home comforts necessary for running a bed & breakfast activity.
The land
The walled parklands of approx. 11,500 m² (2.8 acres) with their entrance gates, comprise French formal gardens (thirty or so decoratively-shaped yew trees over one hundred years old), rose bushes, lawn, grassland, rockery and lime-tree lined driveways. Trimmed boxwood borders the gables and surrounds a shady terrace.
To the rear, three stone stairways provide access to the small wood planted with one hundred year old trees.
The castle.
The outside walls of the building are of rendered stone. The lower sections and toothed quoins are of exposed stone and the windows are framed with pink bricks.
The upward-curving slate roof has ten sides. That of the main building facade features a large roof dormer with a triangular pediment in the centre and two projecting bull’s eye windows with eyebrow pediments on either side. The rear facade features three slate roof dormers with projecting eaves.
The main facade has a wide, dressed stone, central stairway with rectangular steps providing access to the porch way, and a stairway on each side leads to the ground floor gables and the terrace.
The floors on the ground floor are of lias stone with black marble inlaid decoration, with the exception of the large lounge which has oak, strip pattern parquet flooring. The first and second floors have terracotta tiles and floor tiles. The oak stairway has a first scroll flight with wrought iron railings.
There are marble fireplaces in all the bedrooms. Those in the large lounge and the dining room are Empire fireplaces with detached columns.
The double aspect reception rooms and bedrooms are extremely luminous.
Approx. 480 m² of living space comprises on the ground floor: a large through entrance hall, a large Empire-style lounge with painted wainscoting including two sets of built-in book shelves, a lounge, a dining room, a study, a kitchen, a toilet with a wash-hand basin and a laundry room.
On the first floor: a landing, a suite (bedroom and lounge) with bathroom, shower room and toilet, an anteroom, a bedroom with bathroom and toilet, a bedroom with bathroom, toilet and dressing room. On the second floor: a landing, a small suite (bedroom and lounge) with bathroom and toilet, a bedroom with bathroom, toilet and dressing room.
On the third floor with its sloping ceilings: two rooms with a bathroom and toilet, a small room with a wash-hand basin (easily converted into a kitchen). This floor could be used as a staff flat.
The full basement includes a machine room, a store-room (former kitchen), a workshop and a wine cellar.
Modern-day fixtures and fittings: contemporary kitchen, video-phone, digicode, automatic gates, etc.
The outbuildings.
A former, 70 m² (753 sq ft) woodshed and an orangery (70 m² / 753 sq ft - 4.40 m / 14.4 ft high ceilings).
Our opinion
The Louis XIII style architecture with its sober, unostentatious appearance is enough to seduce would-be buyers. Equidistant from Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte, just a stone’s throw from the forest in one of the most beautiful regions of the Seine & Marne, and only 50 km (31 miles) from Paris.
A completely unoverlooked but not isolated village castle (facing the Seine), in the centre of activities.
Main residence, holiday home (notably for Parisians), or the running of a bed & breakfast activity (ongoing), such are the possibilities open to the future owners.
The bed & breakfast activity (with the French “4 épis” rating) has been ongoing since 2001 with French and international customers. The castle is listed in numerous French and foreign guides (including the Red Michelin guide). Ideally situated, in a tourist region, at approx. 10 minutes from Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte, the forest and near to Barbizon with outdoor and water activities, horse-riding clubs, gastronomic restaurants, etc.
1 650 000 €
Our fees are included in the stated sale price.
Reference 2912JJM
| Land registry surface area | 2.8 acre |
Regional representative
Jean-Jacques Morize del Devèze +33 (0)6 09 75 85 85
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.
