manor for sale Aubepierre-Ozouer-le-Repos, France

A grand house steeped in history, nestled in the village of Ozouer-le-Voulgis in France’s Seine-et-Marne department, just 40 minutes from Paris by rail or road. The grand 19th-century house stands in the middle of tree-dotted grounds. Its elevations are coated with rendering and it is crowned with a hipped roof of tiles. The dwelling has kept its historical features. An entrance gate leads into a gravel court lined with trees, which creates a natural enclosure. The edifice faces north-east. Its grounds extend on its south side. Climbing ivy coats its walls. Louvred shutters painted green bring out the surrounding greenery. An outer stone wall separates the property from the road, preserving the place’s absolute calm. The interior showcases old craftsmanship. On the ground floor, the cement tiles of the hallway adjoin, on one side, the large lounge’s chevron parquet, mouldings and marble fireplace and, on the other side, a living room with a marble fireplace. This living room leads to an oval dining room with fine woodwork and a so-called Prussian fireplace – a fireplace built into the wall with an integrated plate-warming compartment – that bears witness to the French art of living that shaped this home. The kitchen lies in an extension that is more modern. A secondary corridor discreetly links it to the entrance hall. The reception rooms face south and are bathed in natural light. They offer an unrivalled view of the tree-dotted grounds. A majestic wooden staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade invites you to venture upstairs. The first floor offers, on one side, two bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms. And, on the other side, there is a private bathroom with a walk-in wardrobe and a utility room. This first floor continues the elegance of the ground floor with solid-wood strip flooring and marble fireplaces. Some parts upstairs have been worn by time and require special attention. They are not heated and have suffered from water damage. The second floor has wood strip flooring and fireplaces. It offers five bedrooms and an office. The top floor has a rustic character and is waiting to be showcased with its exposed roof frame and terracotta floor tiles. This roof space is filled with natural light from dormers with oval windows that look down over the grounds.

45 kilometres southeast from Paris, a 12th-century manor, entirely restored, with its moats, outbuildings and 4 7-hectare grounds. Behind the wrought-iron fence, the property is revealed in all its splendour. To the left, the former watchtower, once defensive in nature, seems to welcome visitors today. Across from it, the manor stands facing a vast lawn. Behind it, a paved patio looks out on the former moats, partially encircled by stone ramparts. To the northwest, an apartment located in a semi-detached barn completes the whole. Two driveways provide access to the grounds. The group of buildings harmoniously blend together thanks to their pointed exposed stone façades, pierced with rectangular or arched windows and embellished with wooden window frames and doors. The window surrounds are in ashlar stone, which match the colour of the plaster. The flat-tile gabled roofs are perforated with pedimented hayloft dormer windows. Corner and façade wall ties are in white or grey ashlar stone. The first vestiges of the manor date back to the 12th century. Subsequently and through the unification of several fiefdoms and domains in 1787, the construction started to resemble “a fortified house consisting of a group of dwellings and large moats of water”. The manor still contains many elements that bear witness to its long history.