Splendour in the Second Empire, Ile-de-France

This magnificent Napoleon III castle was completed in 1852. Located in Verrieres-le-Buisson and surrounded by a forest, this secluded property overlooks the area. Says the Patrick Randi agency: “It has beautiful spacious rooms and many vintage elements such as the mahogany panelling and marble floors. What’s truly remarkable is that very few renovations were ever needed.” On three levels, the castle provides 1,100 sq m of living space plus a basement which houses the vast English-style kitchen, freezers and silverware vaults. The ground floor provides ample space for the reception areas, including a majestic neo-gothic entrance with twin stairs, a dining room adorned with vintage woodwork and a monumental china fireplace, a mahogany 19th Century Chinese-style living room, a bar and a study. The many suites upstairs feature either a study or a boudoir, a shower room with terrazzo motifs and a dressing. Quite extravagantly, a huge cave, complete with a pond and a fountain, has been laid out underneath the castle! In perfect condition, this property stands at the heart of a 20-acre park with a 13 x 6 m outdoor pool with canopy, two ponds and several waterworks. There is also a 750 sq m farm, kitchen and fruit gardens, two greenhouses, a hutch, a henhouse, stalls and various storage buildings. Preserved from the noise, it is only 10 km from Paris. Proposed price: 14 million euros

Estate agent: Patrick Randi, 268, boulevard Saint-Germain, 75007 Paris. Tél. : 01 45 55 22 00.

Photo : © Patrice Diaz