Off a peaceful street – the old launderers’ road, boasting remarkable architecture – a wrought iron gate opens into a courtyard boasting many plants, around which stand the residence and former school. The property adjoins the ramparts and wall walk of the town’s historical centre. Through the centuries, it was firstly the residence of a renowned family, whose members were ennobled and contributed to defending the town during the Fronde wars. Prosperous periods of trade, reinforced by advantageous alliances and marriages, bestowed richly painted decorations on the building that are still visible today.

The site was sold to the municipality in 1890 and became the Jules Ferry school, with accommodation for teachers, classrooms and a refectory. It was run first as a girls’ school, then a boys’ school, before playing a central role in trade union life. Each year, the address is put in the spotlight during the Heritage Days weekend and the building is still an emblematic site in local working history of the town. Two holiday lets have been created next to the main building.

The residence

This large-scale, 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 hall plays host to a tuffeau stone spiral staircase climbing to the upper floors. The ground floor is currently occupied by a 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 main rooms face the street and the courtyard.
Also from the hall, a vaulted wine cellar can be reached, in which there remain former coal tanks. The cellar is next to storage space. A second, around 30-m² cellar can be found beneath the courtyard.
The first floor
This level includes 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 was installed in 1890. The remains of the ceiling painted in Florentine grayscale are still visible. The lounge situated close by overlooks the street and includes a tuffeau stone fireplace with rounded edges standing against one of the walls, while the floor is paved with terracotta tiling. 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.
The second floor
There are three bedrooms on this level, renovated in a modern style. One boasts a black marble fireplace, another possesses a decorative wooden fireplace, while the last is fitted with a coal broiler. A bathroom and a shower room can be found nearby.
The attic
This level still awaits conversion, though work has begun on insulating the roof, as well as plastering and painting the walls. 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.