Location

In an unspoilt land of small irregular-shaped fields, separated by hedges and ditches, this part of Poitou is on the borders of the French department of Charente.
The county town, a university and tourist town with 80,000 inhabitants, is approx. 60 km (38 miles) away and is itself approx. 50 minutes from London, Nice and Lyon by airplane, and approx. 330 km (206 miles) from Paris (90 minutes by TGV train). Access to and from Paris is easy via the A10 motorway.
Shops, schools, sixth form college and all amenities are 10 km (6 miles) away in a dynamic town with a good tourist trade. The subprefecture, a town of art and history with 7,000 inhabitants, its hospital, vocational and general sixth form colleges is 35 km (22 miles) away.

Description

The dwelling and its outbuildings are surrounded by 17 ha (42 acres) of woods and 2.7 ha (6.7 acres) of grasslands and driveways. As in fairy tales, the woods have to be braved to reach the much sought-after place. The moats are currently visible on the west side of the outbuildings where they are still filled with water.
The buildings do not have French MH listing or classification but the possibility is there should the future owners so wish.

The dwelling
The building is simple and authentic. Its construction and layout, a cross between 15th century civil and military architecture, are one of the results of the One Hundred Years War. The south-facing, main building is flanked by a spiral stairway tower, protruding from the carcass, which provides access to the cellar and the three stories of living space up to the attic.
Formerly blind, windows were added to the north facade in the 19th century as a concession to modern times, making the dwelling an extremely luminous place to live without detriment to the atmosphere on the inside.
The flat tiled, hip roof needs redoing but the framework, beams and floors are in good condition. The door and window frames need some small repairs, unless complete insulation is required in which case they need replacing. Fixtures and fittings, plumbing and electrical wiring are obsolete. There is no central heating system.

The three stories span a total living space of approx. 320 m² (3,444 sq ft). The rooms of the dwelling are set out as two large areas on either side of the load-bearing wall as required by defensive architecture. Thus, two doors provide access to the main rooms on each landing.
Ground floor: originally two rooms, now five as partition walls have been built, dividing the right-hand room to create a kitchen (antiquated) and other modern rooms. This partitioning could easily be removed to give pride of place to the monumental fireplace and the window seats around the facade window overlooking the courtyard.
1st floor: four bedrooms, including one large one with a monumental fireplace and a window with window seats, an antiquated bathroom and toilet.
2nd floor: without being completely in its original condition, it has suffered little from the ravages of time and successive restorations: two large rooms, one of which has a monumental fireplace and a window with window seats.
Old wooden flooring or herringbone parquet flooring cover the floors.
Attic: 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) that it would be a shame not to convert and benefit from its wooden pinned roofing framework that is in excellent condition and resembles the inverted hull of a boat.
Two vaulted cellars (22 m²/237 sq ft and 55 m²/592 sq ft).

The outbuildings
The carriage gates of the miniature castle entrance open into a courtyard formed by a chapel, a covered section of the courtyard and the farm buildings that coherently surround the dwelling’s south entrance facade.
A little way away: a farmhouse awaiting complete restoration (100 m² / 1,076 sq ft), a 540 m² (5,812 sq ft) barn and an oven in ruins are separated from the stronghold house by a meadow. These outbuildings are of a more recent construction but the hip roof of the house and the oven would tend to indicate that they date from the 18th century.

Our opinion

The dwelling is greatly inspired by the line of defensive keeps built in the Poitou region during the One Hundred years War but the austerity of the military architecture disappeared along with the threats of invasion. Seated on the window seats, in the place of the country squires that lived here, the view of the carriage gates and their guard room has not changed. All is intact.
The stairway tower would perhaps have need of its candle-snuffer roof of yesteryear in order to regain all its nobility but the few modern day conversions have not altered the place. Replacing the slatted shutters with indoor shutters would also give the building back its original arrogant appearance and who knows, under the modern day rendering might there perhaps be hidden treasures, gunloops and loopholes?
Almost six centuries later, this spot is now peaceful. Its original access, through the woods, has always protected it. Combining historic buildings, traditional rural buildings and unspoilt countryside, this property is ideal for enthusiasts who have not yet dared take the plunge as regards restoration. Its promise-filled name alone could easily convince those who still hesitate to leave urban life, and finally change their lifestyle. The more generally intimidating works do not need to be done as this good quality dwelling is sound. It does not take much to imagine oneself in the rooms as they were in the 15th century. Here, history naturally speaks for itself. What’s more, legend tells that every 24 December, a monk sings the Latin mass in the first of the dwelling’s vaulted cellars… maybe you might hear him one day?

Price: 583 000 €
Our fees are included in the stated sale price.

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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.