A historic residence magically transformed by two artists in the south of the Aquitaine region

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A historic residence magically transformed by two artists
in the south of the Aquitaine region

Dax, LANDES aquitaine 40100 FR

Aquitaine

Location

In the very heart of the Aquitaine region, Bayonne is an hour away, Spain is nearby. The La-Chalosse area, equidistant from the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenean Mountains, has a mild climate.

Description

This castle stands on the outskirts of a small village but the forest parklands in between preserve all of its mystery. The access driveway passes through woods and crosses water-filled moats. The feudal motte, surrounded by dry moats, can still be seen and puts the castle on slightly higher ground. This site was once home to an oppidum before the first castle was constructed. A fortified tower appeared in the 13th century, the vestiges of which are still to be seen in the current medieval building. In the 16th century, the new owner carried out major transformation works. The 18th century saw the construction of the north wing. The castle was sold at the time of the French Revolution as National Property. The chapel then disappeared and was replaced with the orangery which forms the east wing extended by a tower porch way. Outbuildings, on the right and left-hand sides of the entrance gates, form and close a rectangular courtyard.

The outsides

Going around the castle northwards, residents walk alongside the high walls, with their small openings, of the north-south-facing building. This is the highest and oldest section, the one that most exudes its medieval past. It is bordered by a “monastic” vegetable garden formed by stone-lined squares for growing herbs and old-fashioned vegetables. This is followed by the central section which opens on to a narrow terrace, bordered by boxwood. Below is an old feudal glacis. In front of the French window, in the middle of the facade, a flight of steps leads to a small belvedere suspended above the slope. On a lower level, a French formal garden has been laid out in keeping with a 17th century model, with a bridle path bordered by tall chestnut trees on one side. Then, on wide terracing, in line with the wall behind the orangery, extends the French formal garden with its wide tall squares of decoratively trimmed boxwood, containing old rose bushes, dotted with cone-shaped hornbeam trees. At the end is a stone ornamental pool with a fountain. On the right and left-hand sides, a hedge of pink hydrangea bushes runs alongside the edge of the forest. Wide stone steps in front of the carriage doors in the dovecote tower lead to this garden which appears to be set like a gem in the surrounding woods. And lastly, there are the outbuildings with their tall, 18th century wrought iron gates that open into a vast main courtyard.

The old stronghold house or medieval wing

Its tall impressive facade spans three stories. The door of the corner, octagonal tower opens into a small room paved with ophite, a volcanic rock from the Pyrenean mountains that resembles slate. All the floors throughout this medieval wing are paved with these large tiles.

Ground floor
On the left-hand side, a spiral stairway, with long steps covered with octagonal terracotta tiles and wooded nosing, fans out winding its way upstairs. The ironwork of the railings dates from the 18th century. A door at the end leads to a second small room housing a rustic wooden stairway. It goes up to a half-floor above the cellar. A Gothic door in the north wall opens into an immense room with ophite floor tiles and a French ceiling supported by stone corbelling. Known as the “Guards’ room”, it is illuminated via a large French window and three high, small-paned windows looking out over the courtyard. A door on the west side opens into a medieval garden on a lower level. A second Gothic door leads to a cellar, above ground with a packed mud floor: the castle, built on rock, has no underground cellar. After the so called “Guards’ room” is another room with floor tiles and a wooden mezzanine. It opens on to the courtyard via tall double doors.
These are then followed by a garage opening on to the courtyard via a large wooden door. It has a cement floor and a rustic ceiling featuring large beams.

First floor
The spiral stairway with its whitewashed walls goes up under a curved ceiling, adorned with decorative plasterwork and illuminated via a high casement window, topped with a glazed fanlight. It is extremely bright. The landing provides access to a bedroom with a shower room and toilet in the northern corner.
A corridor leads south from the landing, providing access to the entire old wing and its three large bedrooms, with or without fireplaces, as well as to a shower room and toilet. All these bedrooms, looking out over the main courtyard, have wide strip wooden flooring and French ceilings.

Second floor
This level, which must once have been a large attic, has a long corridor leading to four bedrooms with a bathroom at the end. These were converted in the 18th century for accommodating members of religious orders. They all exude monastic soberness.
A few wooden steps in the octagonal tower lead to a small round bedroom, directly above the stairwell, illuminated via a window overlooking the courtyard.
A wooden stairway leads from here to a large top room, exuding a medieval air with its very large, 15th century stone fireplace. The floor has been redone using small 15x15 cm tiles with a pattern introducing diagonally laid terracotta tiles with flower motifs. A window, once mullioned, looks out over the courtyard. A window on the west side has been adorned with leaded lights. The walls feature large exposed stones.

Third floor
A wooden stairway provides access to the third floor, almost entirely taken up by a room that spans the full floor surface area of the old stronghold house, bringing a belvedere to mind. Featuring four oval windows on each wall, it is steeped in light and provides a panoramic view over the surrounding countryside. There is a small adjoining library.

The 18th century wing

A wide corridor runs east-west from the entrance hall in the octagonal tower, bordering the kitchen, still set in the heart of the feudal dwelling. It provides access to a row of reception rooms, illuminated on the north and south sides.

Ground floor
The vast kitchen, with its stone tiles, has a tall fireplace with a roasting spit mechanism on one side. Its west wall features half-timbering. Above, on the south side, is a mezzanine. The old kitchen still has all of its traditional character. A door, on the west side, opens into a much more modern back kitchen. The mezzanine, looking down on this kitchen, can be reached via a small wooden stairway going up from the corridor that provides access to several adjoining through rooms, a layout that was much appreciated in the 18th century. The first one is a dining room, with old terracotta floor tiles and moulded wall panelling. A decorative, plaster trophy is featured on the mantelpiece of the wooden, rocaille-style fireplace, painted to resemble marble. An alcove in the north-east corner features trompe-l’œil decor; a shell-shaped wash-hand basin and imitation marble decoration.
This is followed by a small lounge, or an entrance hall, set in the middle of the 18th century wing. A French window opens on the north side on to the small terrace, bordered with boxwood, the other on the south side faces the entrance gates. The external lintel above this French window is adorned with a stone coat-of-arms, disfigured at the time of the French Revolution. Next comes the main lounge with its floor-to-ceiling wall panelling featuring moulding with plant motifs, a wooden fireplace, painted to resemble marble, a plaster ceiling and randomly matched parquet flooring. A library, then, provides access upstairs.

First floor
The landing precedes a wide corridor featuring three south-facing windows with fanlights. It provides access to two bedrooms with bathrooms. The corridor then disappears, giving the full width of the wing to a very large ladies’ sitting room, illuminated on the north and south sides. It has a plaster ceiling, wide strip wooden flooring, a large window with a fanlight on the north and south sides, coffered panelling with picture rails and an 18th century polished wood fireplace with decorative plasterwork on the mantelpiece. A little rounded passageway provides access to a small self-contained flat comprising a bedroom with a deep alcove, set between a glazed cupboard and the rounded passageway, one window on the north side and two on the south side and an 18th century carved wood fireplace with decorative plasterwork on the mantelpiece. Two sets of 18th century double doors in the east wall open into a small study, separating the bedroom from the bathroom at the end. A wooden stairway in the north-east corner of the study leads down to the ground floor.

The orangery

A north-south-facing wing forms the east side of the inner courtyard. It opens into said courtyard via large, central double doors and four arched windows, two on the right-hand side of the doors and two on the left-hand side. The inside is extremely luminous, just as an orangery should be. It has a packed mud floor.
The tower porch way is at its southern end. A wooden stairway leads to a small room above the porch way. It has a vaulted window and vestiges of a small loophole on the upper floors which once comprised a dovecote, as can be seen courtesy of the dove-holes in the walls.

The outbuildings

Set on the right and left-hand sides of the entrance gates, these buildings have single-sloped roofs; only their symmetrical facades can be seen from the courtyard. Spanning two levels with relatively low ceilings, they are in use as a workshop, a woodshed and a storage area.

Our opinion

When this vast residence was purchased by its current owners, it was completely overgrown. Tastefully restored by these two artists, it now bears touching witness to 700 years of history amassed within its walls from feudal times through to the 19th century. Walls that also bring to mind the fact that the castle accommodated art craftsmen, specialised in the reproduction of wallpapers using 18th century methods and techniques, for many years. This artistic footprint which marks the property could be continued by creating studios or holding exhibitions. It has, however, great potential for many other uses given its architectural heritage and its history, its vast living space as well as its location near to a spa town, concealed as it is by a forest setting which preserves all of its mystery. This castle would make an ideal vector for professional projects such as the organisation of concerts, theatrical plays or wedding ceremonies. It is also a property that would appeal to a large family as the different generations could live together here without losing any of their privacy.

904 000 €
Honoraires à la charge du vendeur

Voir le Barème d'Honoraires

Reference 397631

Land registry surface area	4 ha 25 a 23 ca
Main building surface area	650 m2
Outbuilding surface area	485 m2

Regional representative
Lot-et-garonne

Armelle Chiberry du Vignau +33 1 42 84 80 85

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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.