In Charente-Maritime, 10 minutes from Saintes
a 19th-century chateau, outbuildings, grounds and, as an option, a cottage and 4 ha of land
a 19th-century chateau, outbuildings, grounds and, as an option, a cottage and 4 ha of land
Écurat,
CHARENTE-MARITIME
poitou-charentes
17810
FR
Location
Ten minutes by road from the centre of Saintes, the property stands in Saintonge — a region with two thousand years of recorded history, known for its gentle climate and way of life, its authentic villages of stone and water, its vineyards producing Pineau des Charentes and Cognac, and its many pursuits, among them river trips on the Charente. A golf course and an equestrian centre lie close by. The sea is 45 minutes by car; Paris is 3 hours 30 minutes by train and 4 hours 30 minutes by road via the A10 motorway. Bordeaux is 1 hour 20 minutes away.
Description
From the departmental road, between fields, woodland and vines, the chateau and its U-plan outbuildings come gradually into view. A gateway leads into the courtyard, where an old well survives. The main building is rectangular in plan, facing south-east towards the grounds and their tall trees. To the north, a longère-plan farm extends to the rear of the outbuildings; a large barn stands to the south-west. To the south, the wooded grounds give way to meadows that reach to the woodland edge.
The chateau
Built to a neo-Gothic programme, it presents a high gabled slate roof carried on a modillion cornice and pierced by dormers. A narrow triangular pediment, its tympanum cut with a trefoil, frames the central dormer; above it, a carved figure of the Virgin. The dormers are linked by a finely worked openwork parapet, and the chimney stacks draw the eye further upward still. The main body is rectangular in plan, with lower set-back wings extending to either side; both elevations follow the same composition. The doors carry the Gothic vocabulary through to the detail, their ogee gables enriched with carved ornament.
The ground floor
The dual-aspect entrance hall opens from the central doors: the original stone-flag floor is laid diagonally in two tones, the walls are panelled in timber to mid-height, and the ceiling carries large coffers framed by a cornice. Beyond, a first room adjoins the dining room, which has a fireplace; the kitchen follows, its floor also in diagonal stone flags, and its Charentais fireplace fitted with a two-drawer warming range for keeping dishes hot. The back kitchen has a stone sink and a two-quarter-turn staircase rising to the upper levels. A bedroom with a marble fireplace, a shower room and a corridor leading to the storeroom and garage complete the level. Off a hallway, an oblong elm staircase leads to a room fitted as a library.
The first floor
The landing serves a lavatory and, beyond it, a bedroom with a fireplace overlooking the grounds. Opposite, the dual-aspect drawing room has a Louis XIV-style marble fireplace. To the left, two interconnecting bedrooms each have a fireplace.
The second floor
Light reaches this level through the dormer windows, one to each of the five bedrooms, all fitted with a wardrobe.
The third floor
At approximately 100 m², with ceiling height rising to the roof ridge, this level can be converted.
The outbuildings
Several rubble-stone buildings — a gîte, a former dwelling, a farm building and a barn — share window and door surrounds in white limestone matching the main building. The gently pitched roofs are covered in barrel tiles, typical of south-west France.
Le gîte
One wing of the U contains a gîte with direct access to a terrace, comprising a kitchen with a fireplace, a bedroom also with a fireplace, and a living room with stone floors and stone walls beneath an oak roof truss. Further along the wing, a former dwelling awaiting renovation has its main entrance on the courtyard, with rooms arranged off a corridor. Numerous original features survive: a stone sink, a wall niche, a bread oven with its corniced fireplace, and several Charentais fireplaces in dressed stone. At the far end of the courtyard, the return range contains rooms of vernacular character — a storeroom, a cowshed and a former winery — each with independent access.
The farmhouse building
To the north-west of the U, a longère comprises a dwelling followed by barns and agricultural storage buildings. The dwelling, which requires renovation, rises to two levels: a living room, kitchen, shower room and various other rooms on the ground floor; bedrooms above.
The barn
The oak and chestnut casks preserved within this large rectangular building to the west of the grounds speak to the estate's viticultural past. Covered by a gabled roof, it has a floor area of approximately 160 m² and a height to the roof truss exceeding 4 m. Some walls are in rubble stone, others in white limestone ashlar.
The grounds
Tall forest trees spread their canopies across the grounds, providing shade and coolness in summer and framing the vistas. Beyond, meadows extend to the woodland edge.
Our opinion
A delectable retreat, rich in quiet pleasures, with a lively and well-served town ten minutes away. The chateau has been carefully maintained by its current owners, who have preserved the original fabric of a house built substantially in the 19th century. With its many reception rooms and bedrooms, it lends itself naturally to the private use of a large family; once renovated, the outbuildings would suit a bed and breakfast or events project equally well — one readily combined with family occupation. Good road and rail connections, and the proximity of both Saintes and the wider Saintonge, work in favour of either.
885 000 €
Including negotiation fees
842 857 € Excluding negotiation fees
5%
incl. VAT to be paid by the buyer
Reference 562337
| Land registry surface area | 2 ha 94 a 97 ca |
| Number of bedrooms | 9 |
| Outbuildings floor area | 1300 m² |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
Share
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.
