Castle for sale
£962,918
FRANCE, FRANCE Property ID: 41225226
Property description
Elegant beyond belief, enclosed by 7 hectares of grassland, this chateau, dating from the mid 1800’s and designed by Matthieu Begougnan, is one of the most beautiful buildings that Jennifer and I have ever seen in this part of France. The traditional “open U” design has remained unaltered, and the proportions are poetic in their classic styling and charm… the exterior stonework is embellished with carving, stone built balconies decorate the lower floors and, at the upper floors, the stonework changes to scrolled wrought iron balconies giving a feeling of delicacy and charm… even the iron rainwater pipes are fluted and decorated with cartouches. It has, miraculously, rested exactly as originally designed…..
The current owners, a charming couple, have pursued the restoration with enormous attention to detail - and sought expert advice in the choice of colours and detail… the love and respect that they clearly feel as the guardians of this a jewel of a building is just so clear. They have also given great thought to ensuring that the best and most practical innovations of the modern world have been seamlessly incorporated to provide standards of comfort and practicality that would otherwise have been impossible without a flurry of staff. To give but two examples: the central heating and swimming pool heating are serviced by three kilometers of geothermic feed… the most economic and ecologically sound method of heating any property, much less one of one thousand square meters… yet the radiators are antique iron to rest in keeping with the building’s age. The windows are double glazed…. and together, these improvements have aided in achieving an efficiency rating of ” C ” - almost unheard of in a chateau.
We approached the Chateau by the original wrought iron double gates, set in the old stone wall, and swept up the gravelled drive to the imposing entrance. To the front of the chateau, the lawn is starred with clumps of cyclamen, which, later in the year, will give the impression that the chateau floats on a cloud of flowers. Above the huge double doors, carved stone leads your eye upwards… to the ornate balconies outside the windows above… and finally to the elegant cornice that centers the house. And then you enter …. and it takes your breath away… a vast receiving area, floored with Languedocian tiles, panelled walls, delicate gilded mouldings and, facing you, a monumental wooden staircase that wings to left and right from the half landing… On either side of the staircase are carved wooden doors, their tops curved , mirroring each other… and to either side, along the flank walls, are formal, built in decorative planters that focus your attention to seating areas that welcome you to this gracious home. There are tall, wooden doors, glowing with centuries of polishing - original of course - which lead off to left and right to the rooms beyond.
To the left, a gracious salon overlooks the front lawn… coffered ceilings with delicate plaster mouldings above you, oak parquet laid in the traditional herring bone pattern beneath your feet and the whole room awash with light from the tall windows. One wall has the original chimney piece (true to form, all the chimneys in this home are clean and in good working order) and, opposite the windows, another pair of double doors open to a second salon overlooking the formal gardens to the back of the property with french doors leading outside. For large scale entertaining, the two rooms can join into one thanks to the generous size of the interlinking double doors. Each room is light filled, imposing in size, with high, high ceilings… and yet they feel warm and cherished…. this is still a family home, full time to the owners, but also to their children and their seven grandchildren during the holidays. The land is completely enclosed, so safe for both children and animals… (the owners keep two sheep to keep the grassland close cropped … although there is enough land to graze five horses).
Across the receiving hall are two more sets of matching double doors… the furthest, nearest the staircase, leads into the kitchen - and what a joy of a kitchen - a HUGE fireplace, which functions, an island unit providing work space and also informal dining space, one wall filled with professional quality ovens and extractor units. The floor is Languedocian tiles with the work areas delineated in tommettes - the old , handmade terracotta tiles. To either side on the cooking wall there is a door, enabling access to the dining room beyond at the front of the chateau. The walls are about one metre thick… so kitchen noises would not intrude when dining, and the two doors enable food to be brought through one door and removed via the other - less risk of collisions when moving fast….
The dining room faces the front lawn and also looks out to the stable block to one side of the U shaped configuration. In addition to the doors from the kitchen, the dining room has tall double doors that lead back to the entrance/ receiving area. Once again, coffered ceilings with the most delicate plaster moulding, full of light, and again, elegant beyond belief… large enough to seat over a dozen people and still ride a bicycle around the table, the original chimney piece, tall, tall windows - like all the rooms here everything is as it should be - the original design respected and hence functioning perfectly.
Practicalities have not been overlooked either, the ground floor has two toilets with washbasins and a smaller door off this corridor leads to an independent apartment with one bedroom and a generous living room / kitchen /dining room…. including independent access to the gardens outside.
The ground floor has a circular flow, with the receiving area as its axis, there is the ability to link rooms or to use smaller spaces as required … what surprised us both was the quality of light, many older buildings can be dark - but not this one. The situation must help, intelligently sited on a gently rising hill the chateau has no neighbours so light streams in… and gives beautiful views of the Pyrenees mountain range from nearly every window… to see it in later Spring and Summer would be a joy - enamelled with flowers, the trees in leaf in the park, the sheep grazing …. possibly some horses in the vast stable block…. a quality of life that is rare.
On to the first floor…..
At the top of the stairs, to your left is the chateau office / library, with oak parquet flooring, delicate plaster mouldings , another lovely chimney piece, and full of charm. It is, perhaps , worth noting that, if one wished, all the rooms on this floor could be used as very generous bedrooms - the chateau could make the most stunning boutique hotel, with a mixture of bedrooms and suites - retaining the ground floor as ” public ” spaces… or, equally, a melange of studios and independent gites whilst retaining the chateau itself as purely personal space… the possibilities for income generation are many - with three entirely independent buildings allowing flexibility of choice and usage… the possibilities both for private and corporate hospitality are endless.
Next to the office / library is the games room - used by the current owners with their grandchildren in mind this is also used as a TV/cinema room…. a very light room with windows on two sides, the room is painted white to allow almost an entire wall as projection space … and continuing the “games ” theme a door leads to the billiard room - which holds a full size billiard table in its center - whilst french windows lead onto the stone balcony that looks out over the park to the mountains beyond… a marble chimney piece adds to the atmosphere.
Back to the generous, room sized landing, a curved arch leads left to a corridor with five bedrooms… the first bedroom has a full bathroom and WC ensuite, the se
The current owners, a charming couple, have pursued the restoration with enormous attention to detail - and sought expert advice in the choice of colours and detail… the love and respect that they clearly feel as the guardians of this a jewel of a building is just so clear. They have also given great thought to ensuring that the best and most practical innovations of the modern world have been seamlessly incorporated to provide standards of comfort and practicality that would otherwise have been impossible without a flurry of staff. To give but two examples: the central heating and swimming pool heating are serviced by three kilometers of geothermic feed… the most economic and ecologically sound method of heating any property, much less one of one thousand square meters… yet the radiators are antique iron to rest in keeping with the building’s age. The windows are double glazed…. and together, these improvements have aided in achieving an efficiency rating of ” C ” - almost unheard of in a chateau.
We approached the Chateau by the original wrought iron double gates, set in the old stone wall, and swept up the gravelled drive to the imposing entrance. To the front of the chateau, the lawn is starred with clumps of cyclamen, which, later in the year, will give the impression that the chateau floats on a cloud of flowers. Above the huge double doors, carved stone leads your eye upwards… to the ornate balconies outside the windows above… and finally to the elegant cornice that centers the house. And then you enter …. and it takes your breath away… a vast receiving area, floored with Languedocian tiles, panelled walls, delicate gilded mouldings and, facing you, a monumental wooden staircase that wings to left and right from the half landing… On either side of the staircase are carved wooden doors, their tops curved , mirroring each other… and to either side, along the flank walls, are formal, built in decorative planters that focus your attention to seating areas that welcome you to this gracious home. There are tall, wooden doors, glowing with centuries of polishing - original of course - which lead off to left and right to the rooms beyond.
To the left, a gracious salon overlooks the front lawn… coffered ceilings with delicate plaster mouldings above you, oak parquet laid in the traditional herring bone pattern beneath your feet and the whole room awash with light from the tall windows. One wall has the original chimney piece (true to form, all the chimneys in this home are clean and in good working order) and, opposite the windows, another pair of double doors open to a second salon overlooking the formal gardens to the back of the property with french doors leading outside. For large scale entertaining, the two rooms can join into one thanks to the generous size of the interlinking double doors. Each room is light filled, imposing in size, with high, high ceilings… and yet they feel warm and cherished…. this is still a family home, full time to the owners, but also to their children and their seven grandchildren during the holidays. The land is completely enclosed, so safe for both children and animals… (the owners keep two sheep to keep the grassland close cropped … although there is enough land to graze five horses).
Across the receiving hall are two more sets of matching double doors… the furthest, nearest the staircase, leads into the kitchen - and what a joy of a kitchen - a HUGE fireplace, which functions, an island unit providing work space and also informal dining space, one wall filled with professional quality ovens and extractor units. The floor is Languedocian tiles with the work areas delineated in tommettes - the old , handmade terracotta tiles. To either side on the cooking wall there is a door, enabling access to the dining room beyond at the front of the chateau. The walls are about one metre thick… so kitchen noises would not intrude when dining, and the two doors enable food to be brought through one door and removed via the other - less risk of collisions when moving fast….
The dining room faces the front lawn and also looks out to the stable block to one side of the U shaped configuration. In addition to the doors from the kitchen, the dining room has tall double doors that lead back to the entrance/ receiving area. Once again, coffered ceilings with the most delicate plaster moulding, full of light, and again, elegant beyond belief… large enough to seat over a dozen people and still ride a bicycle around the table, the original chimney piece, tall, tall windows - like all the rooms here everything is as it should be - the original design respected and hence functioning perfectly.
Practicalities have not been overlooked either, the ground floor has two toilets with washbasins and a smaller door off this corridor leads to an independent apartment with one bedroom and a generous living room / kitchen /dining room…. including independent access to the gardens outside.
The ground floor has a circular flow, with the receiving area as its axis, there is the ability to link rooms or to use smaller spaces as required … what surprised us both was the quality of light, many older buildings can be dark - but not this one. The situation must help, intelligently sited on a gently rising hill the chateau has no neighbours so light streams in… and gives beautiful views of the Pyrenees mountain range from nearly every window… to see it in later Spring and Summer would be a joy - enamelled with flowers, the trees in leaf in the park, the sheep grazing …. possibly some horses in the vast stable block…. a quality of life that is rare.
On to the first floor…..
At the top of the stairs, to your left is the chateau office / library, with oak parquet flooring, delicate plaster mouldings , another lovely chimney piece, and full of charm. It is, perhaps , worth noting that, if one wished, all the rooms on this floor could be used as very generous bedrooms - the chateau could make the most stunning boutique hotel, with a mixture of bedrooms and suites - retaining the ground floor as ” public ” spaces… or, equally, a melange of studios and independent gites whilst retaining the chateau itself as purely personal space… the possibilities for income generation are many - with three entirely independent buildings allowing flexibility of choice and usage… the possibilities both for private and corporate hospitality are endless.
Next to the office / library is the games room - used by the current owners with their grandchildren in mind this is also used as a TV/cinema room…. a very light room with windows on two sides, the room is painted white to allow almost an entire wall as projection space … and continuing the “games ” theme a door leads to the billiard room - which holds a full size billiard table in its center - whilst french windows lead onto the stone balcony that looks out over the park to the mountains beyond… a marble chimney piece adds to the atmosphere.
Back to the generous, room sized landing, a curved arch leads left to a corridor with five bedrooms… the first bedroom has a full bathroom and WC ensuite, the se
