South Loire French Chateau For Sale

3,150,000 EUR

2,646,000 GBP

4,095,000 USD

PRICE REDUCED - ACCOMMODATION AND AMENITIES

Chateau, ground floor:
Entrance hall, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, cinema/TV room, study, further study and kitchen/breakfast room, 2 WCs.

First floor:
Principal bedroom suite with bathroom and dressing room, 4 further bedroom/bathroom suites and 2 further bedrooms that require decorating.

Second floor:
4 bedrooms, bathroom and further attic rooms.

One of the delights about the house is that it is for the most part, it is 1 room deep, which gives wonderful views over the grounds from all rooms and a fabulous light - which is very agreeable.

Farmhouse:
Kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom.

Apartment/grooms cottage:
Living room with kitchen area, bedroom and bathroom.

Amenities:
Swimming pool set in a super rose garden, Victorian era greenhouse, lake and boathouse.

Agricultural buildings:
There are numerous barns, store rooms, cellars and outbuildings throughout the property.

Formal stable yard consisting of 15 boxes.
Further 10 boxes in the farmyard.
Fields shelters in all paddocks.

Grounds:
Part walled orchard, lawns, paddocks and an impressive tree lined drive.
In all about 78 acres: 18 acres form the garden areas, orchard and lawns. The remaining 60 acres are well managed post and railed grassland paddocks and fields.

Location:
The property is situated just 4km from the town of Richelieu in the Loire/Touraine region of France. Richelieu is a thriving community and the town has a number of bars, restaurants, shops, medical services and supermarkets. The larger town of Chinon is around 20km, where very comprehensive facilities are available.

The property was constructed by a Cardinal in the 17th Century. The cardinal, of course, was the 'baddie' in the 'Three Musketeers' by Alexandre Dumas, but in reality he was a great patron of the arts, an accomplished scientist and social reformer. The town, devised entirely by him, was the first ever grid iron town to be constructed and indeed when New York was built, the American town planners visited Richelieu to see for themselves the practicalities of such town design.

Sadly, after the revolution, the Cardinal's Chateau was demolished and the different elements sold off to be reused for construction purposes.

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY
There is not an awful lot of history known about the chateau although it is clear that the property was constructed in three different eras starting in the 17th Century and finishing in the 18th Century.

There is a portrait above the fireplace in one of the studies which will remain at the property after the sale which is reputed to be a portrait of the eminent cardinals mistress. Folklore or reality, it is a fun story! What is clear, is that the building to the right of 'Lady Pichardire', is the original (and still existing) part of the existing building before its later additions.

GARDENS AND GROUNDS
The chateau is approached via a track that winds until it turns into the km long tree lined drive leading up to the Chateau. On each side of the drive are the post and rail fenced paddocks. On the left hand side of the drive is the small lake and boathouse which probably started its life as the wash house.

The remaining land lies behind and to the south of the chateau and is made up of large lawned areas with many mature trees. There are some super cedar trees, mature walnut trees and in the orchard a wide selection of fruit trees.

The swimming pool is hidden in a secluded area behind one of the outbuildings. The current owners have planted an abundance of rose trees around the swimming pool area which give an array of colour throughout the swimming months.