Off a peaceful street – the old launderers’ road, boasting remarkable architecture – a wrought iron gate opens into a green and carefully tended courtyard, around which stand the residence and former school. The property adjoins the ramparts and wall walk of the town’s historical centre. In the 15th century, it was the residence of a renowned family, ennobled by Louis XV after having defended the town during the Fronde wars. Prosperous years of trade, reinforced by advantageous alliances and marriages, bestowed richly painted decorations on the building that are still visible today. The site was then sold to the municipality and became the Jules Ferry school in 1890, with accommodation for teachers, classrooms and a refectory. It was first a girls’ school, then a boys’ school, before playing a central role in trade union life. The address is put in the spotlight each year during the Heritage Days weekend and is still an emblematic site in local working history. Today, the residence also possesses two holiday lets.

The residence

This imposing, four-storey edifice, one of which is an attic level, is made of tuffeau stone and topped with a slate roof. The tall, rectangular windows are aligned from one floor to another. A tree-ring dating study carried out on the wood used to construct the roof frame has revealed that it dates from 1460.

The ground floor
This level can be reached via the courtyard. The entrance hall plays host to a tuffeau stone spiral staircase climbing to the upper floors. The ground floor is currently occupied by a comfortable, PRM compatible holiday let. A bedroom opens out via a door onto the garden outside. In the fitted kitchen, there is a carefully restored, monumental tuffeau stone fireplace as well as an adjoining bread oven. The kitchen is followed by a bathroom with a shower and a whirlpool bath. The flooring is made up of an alternation of polished concrete and terracotta tiles. The living rooms face the street and the courtyard. Each year, the holiday let generates approximately 12,000 euros of rental income.
The entrance hall also leads to a vaulted wine cellar with former coal tanks, next to storage space. A second, around 30-m² cellar can be found beneath the courtyard.
The first floor
This level plays host to the residence’s living rooms, including a vast dining room with a kitchen area, fitted with a wood-burning stove. The straight wood stripped flooring dates back to 1890. The ceiling was previously painted in Florentine grayscale, whose remains are still visible, a technique that created a sense of depth. The dining room is followed by a lounge overlooking the street. A tuffeau stone fireplace with rounded edges stands against one of the walls, while the floor is paved with terracotta tiles. The remarkable ceilings, painted with ochre-coloured patterns, rosettes and initials on a blue background, were revealed during the most recent restoration of the building in 2017. If so desired by the future occupants, an application could be made to have them listed.
The second floor
There are three bedrooms on this level, renovated in a modern style. One boasts a black marble fireplace, another possesses an imitation wooden fireplace, while the last has a coal broiler. The bedrooms share a bathroom and a shower room. One of the bedrooms even has an adjoining bathroom.
The attic
This level still awaits conversion, though work has begun on insulating the roof, as well as plastering and painting the walls, most of which has already been paid for. All that remains is to complete what has been started. There is a surface of approximately 120 m² beneath a cathedral roof frame, with a ridge cap height of more than 8 metres. The views from this storey look out towards the castle.