Location
In the rolling countryside of the Charente region, where streams meander through fields and woods, the village where the house is located dominates its surroundings. All essential services, facilities and shops are just a few minutes away. These include a grocery shop, bakery, butcher, school, nursery, medical centre, chemist, post office, garage and public transport to Angoulême. Angoulême is renowned for its cultural activities, including the French-language film festival, the Circuit des Ramparts race, the comic strip fair and the "Gastronomades". It is easy to reach the village from the north and south thanks to the LGV/TGV stations (Angoulême is 15 minutes away and Bordeaux is 1.5 hours away) and the N10 road. Limoges international airport is 1 hour 15 minutes away.
Description
The house
To the south, the house is protected from view by a wall with a foot gate, a few steps from the church along the lane, which is so narrow that cars can't go down it to the east. The car entrance is from the west, via a cul-de-sac.
The ground floor
The entrance hall has a toilet with a washbasin. On the left of it a door opens onto the living room, which has two windows that face the courtyard. At the far end of the room there is a stone Charentais fireplace with a wood burner and, to the right of the wall, there is a niche that is used as a “potager”, an old Charentais stone warming oven, which is useful for heating dishes over the embers extracted from the nearby fireplace in old houses. The floor is tiled and the ceiling beams have been left exposed. Immediately on the right there is a wooden quarter turn staircase leading to the upper floor. To the right of the stone potager oven there is a small sitting room with a window overlooking the garden and swimming pool. The room, with its tiled floor and ceiling with natural rafters, features a corner fireplace. The kitchen can be reached through a small-paned wooden sliding door, but also through the living room. The kitchen has large French windows overlooking the covered terrace. The worktop is made of wood with a double washbasin, with another worktop just above. The floor is part tiled and part floorboard. Before the utility room, there is a door that leads back to the entrance. To the right of the entrance hall, a storage room leads to a workshop with a window looking out onto the courtyard.
The upstairs
A landing with light-coloured walls and parquet flooring leads to the various rooms. The door frames are made of exposed limestone. A bedroom has been built under the roof, with a small window overlooking the garden and swimming pool. Another bedroom on the courtyard side is also under the roof. Opposite the latter, in a corridor on the right, there are a toilet and a shower room with two wash basins before a third bedroom with a sloping ceiling, contrasted by a wall with a blue background. From here, a door leads on to a fourth bedroom, with two windows, a low mezzanine and an exposed roof truss. Next, a toilet and a tiled shower room are adjoined by a door that opens onto three wooden steps in a hallway with cupboards hidden by curtains. From here, the outside of the house can be accessed via six stone steps.
The garden
Facing the covered terrace with its square stone well, the garden ends to the north with a small shrub hedge and a view over the communal grounds. In the north-east corner, an ancient spindle plant seems to overlook everything. To the west, a low wall surrounds the 2.5 m long by 2.2 m wide stone swimming pool. There is a palm tree alongside the house to the west of the parking area.
Our opinion
This former haberdashery is a peaceful retreat, ideal for those looking for a change of scenery and climate. It promises a simple, carefree life in a property in excellent condition, away from the hustle and bustle of the city yet very close by. The swimming pool is a great asset in this region, where the climate is ideal for swimming.
Reference 713886
Land registry surface area | 875 m2 |
Main building surface area | 188 m2 |
Number of bedrooms | 4 |
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.