A former boatman's house facing the River Loire, nestled in a historical riverside village near the charming town of Saumur.
The property lies in the south-east corner of France's Maine-et-Loire department, in the country's beautiful Pays de la Loire region. The local Saumurois province is an area that is rich in history and tradition. It is renowned for its landscapes and monuments. Here, lovers of built heritage can visit the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, the Château de Chinon and the Cadre Noir cavalry school with its spectacular equestrian shows. Wine lovers can savour the best vintages of the fine local wines Saumur-Champigny and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. And walkers and cyclists can enjoy outings along the banks of the majestic River Loire, dotted with its emblematic wide-bow boats. The quaint village seems to pour out into the river. Its streets are calm and its architecture harmonious with white tuffeau stone. Specialist food shops stand beside antiques shops and a chateau. Nearby, the markets of Saumur, Chinon and Bourgueil offer an abundance of fresh produce. The A85 motorway is only 15 minutes away, as is Saumur train station, from where you can get to Nantes and Orléans by rail. You can also catch direct trains to Paris from this station.
This former boatman's house dates back to the 19th century. It stands in the village's maze of narrow streets, looking down over the River Loire and offering an unrivalled panoramic view. It is an unusual dwelling, rising up from a wine merchant's shop on the ground floor. Boatmen on the River Loire would come to this house to rest during dangerous expeditions on their wooden riverboats. Their wide-bow boats would transport sand and fish, as well as travellers. The house's facade is plain and made of tuffeau stone, punctuated by belt courses, windows aligned in a single row, with wrought-iron guard-rails railings and wooden louvred shutters. It is also bordered by two Doric corner pilasters. Its three-sided slate roof features a dormer that has a triangular pediment with dentils, identical to the cornice running around its edge.
The boatman's houseThe dwelling looks out at the River Loire and its banks. A spiral staircase of tuffeau stone and timber connects to all the floors.
The first floor
The first floor includes a large space that has been turned into a lounge with a dining area and kitchen. A tuffeau stone fireplace stands against the room's western wall. Terracotta tiles adorn the floor - their gleaming smoothness bears witness to their old age. Exposed beams and joists run across the ceiling, giving this vast room character and structure.
The second floor
The second floor has a bedroom with modern wood strip flooring. It lies beside a bathroom, a lavatory and a storage space that serves as a walk-in wardrobe.
The third floor
The house's centrepiece lies on the top floor: a lounge beneath a cathedral ceiling with an exposed roof frame, some of the oldest beams of which are boat masts - a nod to the building's past.
