luxury farmhouse for sale Centre Est, France

A 17th century farmhouse in the heart of the Gard Garrigues, a precious testimony to centuries of pastoral life. The various buildings, with their thick limestone walls, are part of a series of edifices that were erected starting in the 17th century. They surround a courtyard, a space which links and protects the different farm activities. Called a 'barn' in the 18th century, this agricultural building consisted of a single structure to the north and an elevation at right angles to the east. Today, only four massive stone pillars remain, distributed around the courtyard. The development of the other two wings still standing today had to wait until the 19th century, when the cultivation of mulberry trees - of which fine specimens remain in the park - developed. At that time, silkworm breeding was at its peak, until a devastating epidemic, pepper disease, ravaged most of the farms in the Gard. The architectural style of the eastern wing presents all the typical characteristics of a silkworm farm: a long, narrow and tall building, two storeys high, with small regular openings and a gable roof, with a chimney for the ventilation and heating necessary for the growth of the 'Magnans” (greedy silkworms). The second wing on the western side was built for the staff who were required to live on the premises. The windows, which are larger in size, receive generous sunlight from the west. From the windows facing the sunset, the view encompasses the surrounding garrigue shrublands as well as the flock of sheep from the neighbouring village that regularly graze nearby. To the north, the building has remained in its original state with, on the lower level, solid cross vaults which sheltered the animals under the hayloft above. The courtyard facades are entirely lime-rendered and those visible from the outside - with the exception of the east wing - show bonded rubble limestone. The gable roofs are clad with monk-and-nun tiles.