An 18th century former abbey farmhouse set in more than 4.5 hectares in the Thiérache region - ref 905515
An 18th century former abbey farmhouse set in more than 4.5 hectares in the Thiérache region.
Set between the Champagne wine region and Belgium, the land of beer, this region not dissimilar to Normandy produces cider.
The property is secluded, only a farm can be made out in the distance; the nearest village is 2.5 km away.
The farm estate belonged to the Prémontré Abbey from the 12th century. Destroyed by fire in 1731, it was rebuilt between 1740 and 1780.
After leaving the main road, a tarred track of about 1.5 km leads to the entrance of the property. A driveway framed by wooden fences delimiting the pastures leads first to the caretaker's lodge on the left and then up to the farmhouse.
The complex forms an enclosed courtyard accessed via a dovecote-porch set in a building with a barn at right angles facing the sheepfold and the stables. The main residence is situated at the bottom of the courtyard, surrounded by outbuildings used as workshop, garage, boiler room and sports room.
A small sand arena is located in the centre of the courtyard, a second one, measuring 40 x 20 metres, can be found at the rear of the barn.
The pastures extend over a little more than 4 hectares with a shelter for horses.
One meadow has a pond of approx. 1,500 m² fed by a spring.
The main houseSet at the bottom of the courtyard, it is of brick masonry like all the other buildings and comprises two stories and attic space under a natural slate sprocket roof. A bell tower in the middle still serves to gather the whole household at mealtimes. The wooden windows are double-glazed.
The ground floor
The main entrance in the centre of the building gives direct access to the dining room, across from the staircase that leads to the upper floor. There is a marble fireplace at the back of the room. The parquet and local blue stone flooring perfectly complement each other. To the rear, a kitchen opens through glass doors onto a terrace and a small intimate garden. Again, the blue stone perfectly matches the contemporary furniture of the built-in kitchen, which is heated by a Godin wood-burning stove that, when in use, takes over from the oil-fired central heating boiler. A scullery is fitted with large cupboards.
A corridor leads from the dining room to a bathroom with a shower, a lavatory, a bedroom with a marble fireplace and a study featuring a striking art-nouveau fireplace adorned with a basket of fruit and bunches of grapes. The floors of these two rooms are laid with terracotta tiles.
The first floor
The staircase leads to the centre of a corridor which serves a bedroom of about 25m², two bedrooms of about 20m² with their own shower rooms and toilets, a suite with two bedrooms and a shower room with toilet of about 36m². This level also includes a 29m² studio with a kitchen, bedroom and shower room with toilet. The first floor has been perfectly restored with all modern comforts while retaining and enhancing the noble period materials.
The attic
The corridor provides access to the attic. Light pouring in from the roof windows illuminates the exposed beams and the insulated floor. This space could be converted. The caretaker's lodgeThis 96m² white-painted brick dwelling is extended by a garage. The double-glazed windows are fitted with wooden shutters. It comprises a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, a shower room and a lavatory on the ground floor. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory.
Electric radiators and a fireplace with insert supply heating. The dovecote-porchThe pavilion roof of this gatehouse dominates the lower building it forms part of. The porch arch key bears a coat of arms attributed to Jean-Baptiste ...