luxury architect house for sale Loches, France

A 1900 manor house, with caretaker’s lodgings in 6,000-m² grounds, in a dominant position in the Cher Valley. The property is located on an enclosed and mainly wooded plot on a slope, from which it dominates the Cher Valley. From the road, a wrought-iron gate framed by tuffeau stone pillars opens onto a driveway that climbs up to the three-storey main residence with a surface of almost 300 m². It was built in 1900 and was said to have been designed by the Saunière architecture firm at the request of the Cubat family of chefs, whose eldest son was the cook for the Russian Tzar before opening a restaurant in the Païva Hotel on the Champs-Élysées. The residence is made of rubble stone and rendered with lime, while on three of its sides, wide windows punctuate the facades. The protruding entrance in the centre of the main facade can be reached via several steps. Its wooden door is protected by a wrought-iron and glazed awning. The door and window surrounds as well as cornices are made of tuffeau stone, while the two-level protrusion as well as the quoins are made up of tuffeau stone and brick. The roof break on the Mansard roof is punctuated by dormers with triangular pediments either side of a central dormer with an arched pediment topped by a flame urn. On the ground floor, the reception rooms still boast their period decorative features, including wood strip flooring and marble fireplaces. Eight bedrooms occupy the upper floors, while a wide patio runs alongside the house to the south. To the rear of the residence, an approximately 120-m² caretaker’s house can be found on the edge of the property and has a separate pedestrian entrance. Next to it, there is an entrance to troglodyte cellars, which were previously used for a winery activity. Paths and flights of steps connect the different levels of the grounds.