Castles for sale Villiers-sur-Orge, France

A 195 m² flat with its original decor and garden, in an 18th century chateau, 30 minutes south of Paris. Hidden from view, the chateau can be made out through an impressive wrought iron gate, which opens on to the main courtyard. The building features a classical architectural style and is aligned with the path of the sun. Some historical documents mention the 15th-century fiefdom that once extended over these grounds. Rebuilt in the 18th century, the chateau was acquired in the mid-19th century by Auguste Lamy and Cécile Kuhlmann. Auguste Lamy (1820-1878), physicist and chemist, Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, was instrumental in the discovery of thallium. He was also a director of the Kuhlmann industrial group established by his father-in-law Charles Frédéric Kuhlmann, founder of Crédit du Nord. The property was owned by the family until 1946. The chateau reflects the pure classical style typical of the second half of the 18th century. It comprises three storeys over a cellar. On the eastern side, the building consists of a central section flanked by two wings set at right angles. The main door, accessed via a flight of stone steps with two accesses and a wrought-iron banister, completes the overall symmetry. The entrance is surrounded by three windows on either side, two of which stand proud of the wings. The first floor, illuminated by nine openings protected by wrought iron railings, is topped by a second upper level in the roofspace featuring three domed zinc roof dormers with carved wings. The hipped slate roof features ridge finials. The western facade, overlooking the grounds, follows the same layout as the one on the street side, with one exception: the addition of a central semi-circular porch topped with pear-shaped stone balusters, which opens onto a vast lawn bordered by a variety of trees. The flat is located in the southern section of the chateau and extends over the entire ground floor and part of the first floor. It comprises two sitting rooms, three bedrooms and various other rooms awaiting conversion. The parklands at the back stretch out to an oval pool featuring a statue inspired by the sculpture of ancient Greece as the focal point of its verdant plant theatre stage. The commonhold consists of four flats and the only shared areas are the landings on the different levels and the grounds.

Near Paris, a 17th century castle, in the heart of an exceptional romantic and botanical park of about 45 ha. A gate flanked by two lodges opens onto an alley that leads to the main courtyard. The castle consists of a main building framed by two wings at right angles, an extension called 'Le petit château' (the small castle) has been added to the south wing, which is slightly set back by an elegant small courtyard. To the north are the outbuildings, stables, water tower, chapel, service quarters and two greenhouses. On the west side, a lake adorns the largely walled park.

Located in Essonne 35 km south of Paris, this castle of 1500m ² built in 1848, of a classic and very balanced architecture, was completely restored in 2012. With a harmonious style on its four facades, the castle is characterized by its Mansart style roof, its balusters on the 3 levels, its facades in stone and stucco, the pilasters on the ground floor and upstairs, its arched doors ... The interior of the castle enjoys by its volumes with rooms both vast and proportionate. The entrance hall with its masterful staircase sets the tone as soon as you enter the door: marble, columns, stone, ironwork and high ceilings. The 4 reception rooms facing the park are the same way: large glass doors guarantee a permanent brightness, parquet floors of Hungary, marble fireplaces, mirrors, moldings, gilding and a set of very nice woodwork in the music room. The contemporary kitchen on the ground floor fits perfectly with the whole. On the first floor, a master suite, including a large room overlooking the park, a bathroom, a dressing room and a gym. Five other rooms with bathroom and marble fireplace offer different themes. On the 2nd floor, 10 studio-rooms with bathrooms. The basement area hosts an extensive spa including swimming pool, sauna, steam room, massage room, gym. A workshop and a wine cellar complete this level. The 10-hectare park starts from a flat area on the upper part where the castle is located, then gradually goes down towards the valley. From the vast terrace of the castle overlooking the park, a large lawn gently sloping to the belvedere provides a nice perspective on the gardens. Below a stretch of meadow and a wood. From the right side of the terrace, you can see a nice pond with a pavilion, a tennis court at the back and then a wooded area. The entire English park is harmonious and leaves unobstructed views of the valley. Several golf courses are located nearby. Access to the property is easy from Paris by the A6 motorway or from Charles de Gaulle airport by the Francilienne. Bertrand GUENIOT +33671071839

Located just 17 km south-east of Paris, Louis XIII style castle built from 1617 to 1635 by the architect Jean Thiriot for Charles Duret de Chevry, intendant of Finances of Louis XIII. In 1720, it was remodeled in the Louis XV style, then in 1748, the Marshal of Saxe had the large gallery fitted out in the central part of the castle. The property extends over 60 mainly wooded hectares, an exceptional size for a property so close to the capital. The castle totaling more than 2000m² of living space includes, on the ground floor, a large reception room of 150m², a dining room, two lounges, a library... The castle includes two suites and 14 bedrooms with bathrooms. All the period features have been preserved: paving, parquet floors, woodwork, moldings, fireplaces... The former outbuildings have been fitted out to offer more than 1000m² of additional living space including three seminar rooms and 18 additional of development. The brick and stone castle is distinguished by its paved main courtyard surrounded by dry moats which is accessed by a stone bridge marked with a beautiful wrought iron gate. At the entrance to the park two square pavilions and a large gate mark the access to the alley of honor. In the park on the sunset side, a beautiful perspective pierces the forest, a pond also comes to decorate the English garden. Located 17 km from Paris, 15 km from Orly, 45 km from Roissy CDG. Bertrand GUENIOT +33671071839

18 km from the gates of Paris, a Louis XIII 'brick and stone' chateau in the heart of 60 hectares of gardens, park and woodlands. Due east, the entrance to the property faces the sunrise, down a straight 2 km driveway that inevitably draws the eye towards the chateau. In 1389-1390, the estate was mentioned for the first time as a plot of land cleared for a religious community. Around 1581, the farm was fortified, and yet the construction of the present chateau began as soon as 1617. The patron, a prominent administrator of the French kingdom in the 17th century, was a lover of court ballets, a penchant that was taken up by the Marshal of Saxony during his construction work in the mid-18th century. Facing east, framed by two square lodges, the large gate crowned with floral scrolls opens onto the formal 'Allée d'Honneur” (alley of honour), lined with lawned beds. Two parallel foliage belts, formerly bridle paths, lead to the heart of the estate. The French formal gardens, designed in the classical style, have left their discreet mark to the north. At the front, the majestic gardens provide a vanishing point perspective as you pass through the gates: everything leads to the chateau. The aristocracy was both a generator and a follower of fashions: reflecting the intellectual struggles of the 19th century, the romantic style replaced the classical. Thus, to the west, the French formal design of the grounds was transformed into an English-style landscaped park with a pond and irregular groves over a stretch of about 800 m. Finally, to the south, a rectangular grass parterre is dotted with trees along its sides, and a dressed stone barn stands in the north-east corner. Once past the two animal sculptures bordering the Allée d'Honneur, the gates with their forged scrollwork over the fixed bridge above the moat open onto the paved “Cour d'Honneur” (courtyard of honour). Dating back to the 17th century, the chateau comprises a U-shaped main edifice on three levels built around the forecourt, with two lower wings on either side. 'Of brick and stone', it features striking colours typical of the Louis XIII period. Its large bays let the light shine through from one side to the other, from the rising sun on the French-style Allée d’Honneur to the setting sun on the romantic English-style park. Surrounding the earth platform, the moat with its 16th century scarps and counterscarps, which can be crossed by three fixed bridges - at the front, at the back and to the north, in the direction of the outbuildings - is bordered by the traditional false palisades. They are fed by a stream which subsequently runs underneath the park. There is no doubt that their preservation played a significant symbolic role for the cultured aristocracy of the time. The moat is a reminder of the inherent military function of the nobility, but also of their sophisticated mind. Today in part filled with water, the moat played in medieval and early modern literature the role of a border between the real and the fairy world. A grotto decorated with shells and “rustiques” (rusticware inspired by Bernard Palissy) accessed by a double flight of stairs at right angles, was built in 1635 in the southern moat, below the Cour d’Honneur. To the immediate north of the chateau, on the other side of the moat, the outbuildings are H-shaped, with lodges - formerly a cheese dairy and chapel - abutting the corners of the chateau. The fixed bridge leads from the Cour d'Honneur to the centre of the complex of outbuildings. They are laid out around a gravel courtyard. To the east is the former caretaker's cottage. Combined, the chateau and the outbuildings offer roughly 2,860 m² of floor space including 42 bedrooms. Some 15 additional rooms could also be fitted out. Finally, the 60 hectares are enclosed by walls 3 m high, with 10 gates and 5 sunken fences or ha-ha.