SUPERB
OPPORTUNITY IN THE
In 1997 we sold our Home Counties house and bought a large,
dilapidated 16th century nobleman’s house in the
We have chosen to run La Maison Aubelle as top quality apartments for discerning holidaymakers. But it could easily be transformed, and there is scope for further expansion, into a restaurant with rooms or a small luxury hotel, neither of which already exists in the area, where there is demand not only from local residents and businessmen, but also a high volume of holidaymakers from early spring to the beginning of winter.
So now we’re getting ready to retire. Do you have the drive and imagination to take La Maison Aubelle onwards?
The whole property is for sale for €1.35 million, which includes the furniture, fittings and equipment in the five letting apartments.
Read the sale details below, then visit our holiday advertising website at www.aubelle.com.
Peter and Sally Smith
La Maison Aubelle
La Maison Aubelle is a large nobleman’s house dating
back to the 16th century set in Montreuil-Bellay, one of the most
picturesque towns in the
South façade of La Maison Aubelle
The whole property has been restored since
1998, under the watchful eye of Bâtiments de France, the French equivalent of
English Heritage, and now combines historic elegance with 21st
century comfort. The property comprises the main building and the stable block,
both of which have been refurbished inside and out to a very high standard and
converted into apartments, four in the main building and two in the stable
block. The main house has two large lofts, one of which has all main services
available to convert into a studio apartment with mezzanine.
Main house seen from the stable block
Looking across the gardens
Front entrance
View from the front door
Main gate
Within the grounds, which are totally secluded
thanks to a high surrounding wall, there is a lawn with mature trees, shrubs
and flower beds, a heated outdoor swimming pool, 9 x 5 metres, that conforms to
EU standards, a games room, a laundry room for guests’ use and covered parking
for the owners’ cars, as well as further outdoor car parking.
Swimming pool
La Maison Aubelle, with its four apartments, is
heated by an oil-fired boiler which operates underfloor heating downstairs and
thermostatically-controlled radiators upstairs. The boiler also supplies
limitless hot water in the main house except to
Stable block
The whole property benefits from two satellite
dishes which, together with a sophisticated distribution system, allow for a
wide range of English, American and French television programmes to be viewed
throughout the property.
Apart from the owners’ personal property and
furnishings, sale of La Maison Aubelle includes all furniture, fixtures and
fittings.
The entire property covers approximately 2000 m2,
plus the adjacent Concorde building (see end of document.)
Location
Montreuil-Bellay, a town of 4,500 inhabitants,
has a variety of shops to cater for your everyday needs. It is 10 miles south
of Saumur in the
Montreuil-Bellay - château from the river
La Maison Aubelle - detailed description
La Maison Aubelle has an entrance hall with a
partially glazed roof leading from the house’s main front door to the main
terrace, thence access to
Apartment One
(one bedroom)
At present used by the owners, the apartment
comprises one bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, separate WC, sitting room,
dining room, kitchen, utility room, hall and boiler room. Oil-fired underfloor
heating throughout and VMC air extraction system in kitchen, bathroom and
utility areas. All ceiling heights are over 3m.
All measurements are approximate.
HALL: 3.08m x 2.77m. Half-glazed French doors
leading from the garden terrace to hall with terra cotta tiled floor and access
to the kitchen, dining room and boiler room.
KITCHEN: 7.43m x 3.28m. The dual aspect, well-designed
kitchen with terra cotta tiled floor, green stained beams and wooden floor and
wall units with tiled splash-backs will easily cater for 12 or more people.
There is a 90cm Candy multi-function oven, a General Electric side-by-side
fridge-freezer with water and ice dispenser, six De Dietrich induction hobs
with a three-speed extractor over, a De Dietrich dishwasher and a double
‘granite’ sink with drainer. As well as the power supply for all of the above,
there are a further 12 sockets providing electricity to all parts of the
working surfaces. Lighting above all the work surfaces plus two other ceiling
light fittings. TV and radio sockets.
DINING ROOM:
7.44m x 4.45m. A stone and rendered room with terra cotta floors, exposed beams
and a large stone fireplace. A large double window and half-glazed double doors
give onto the terrace. There is a small stained glass window at the opposite
end of the room. The dining room can seat up to 12, or sixteen if the table is
extended.
Access to:
UTILITY ROOM:
3.49m x 2.41m. With original 16th century wall cupboard fitted for
glasses. Plumbing and electricity for two washing machines, tumble dryer,
professional dishwasher and glass washer.
CELLARS: Huge cellars extending under most of house
and part of gardens. Their constant low temperature and high humidity make the
ideal conditions for storing wine. Electrical point halfway down stairs for
deep freeze and another in wine store.
BOILER ROOM:
2.55m x 2.04m, having De Dietrich boiler with 4 heating circuits for the whole
house and a hot water supply to the kitchen and two of the apartments. Boiler
room doubles as linen store.
SITTING ROOM:
7.44m x 6.39m, with exposed beams, stone fireplace with underfloor air intake,
exposed limestone and rendered walls, cream terra cotta floor. A large double
window and half-glazed double doors give onto the terrace. Two telephone lines,
TV and radio sockets.
HALL: 2.21m x 2.02m, beamed, terra cotta tiled
floor, with glass door to TOWER and door to
BEDROOM: 5.64m x 4.76m, with exposed beams,
honey-coloured terra cotta floor, part stone walls, part plastered, large
double window and half-glazed double doors giving onto the terrace. TV and
radio point. Door to DRESSING ROOM, 3.40m x 1.78m, fully fitted with hanging
rails and drawers, cupboard with 300 litre electric hot water tank.
BATHROOM: 3.83m x 2.39m, with separate 0.9m x 0.9m
shower cubicle. A half-tiled room with hand-painted birds flying around the
walls. Vanitory unit with two hand washbasins with lights over, corner bath
with thermostatic mixer shower taps, bidet, electric towel rail/radiator.
Glazed tiled floor.
Separate WC:Accessed
from bedroom or hall. Low flush suite, wall-mounted wash handbasin with tiled
splashback.
There are three further apartments in the main
house. All have oil-fired central heating radiators, VMC air extraction systems
in the bathroom, WC and kitchen areas, plenty of electric sockets, as well as
TV and telephone points in all the living rooms.
Apartment Two
(one bedroom)
A duplex apartment with a small private
terrace. The front door opens into
LIVING ROOM:
6.85m x 2.98 x 3.02m high, with rendered walls and terra cotta tiled floor. A
double-aspect room with one window on the street side and a large window and
half-glazed double doors giving onto a small terrace screened by a trellis,
roses and climbing plants. At one end, a fitted kitchen with 4-ring hob,
multi-function oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, stainless steel sink with single
drainer in a range of units and 2 more electric sockets.
An oak staircase leads to
BEDROOM: 8.40m x 2.96 x 2.57m high, double aspect
(street and garden).
BATHROOM: 3.29m x 2.18m, with white bath with
thermostatic mixer shower taps, vanitory unit with hand washbasin, large mirror
with lights over and shaver socket, white tiled floor with red cabochons.
Separate WC:
Low flush suite.
Apartment Three
(two bedrooms)
On the first floor, this apartment’s front door
(at street level) opens onto a straight limestone staircase with one rendered
and one exposed stone wall, leading up to a small landing, thence to
KITCHEN: 2.32m x 1.86m, 4-ring hob, multi-function
oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, stainless steel sink with single drainer in a
range of units. There are a further 2 electric sockets.
A long, light, wood-floored corridor with two
windows and radiators leads to
BEDROOM 1:
4.95m x 4.76 x 2.90m high, DRESSING ROOM with hanging and shelved cupboards,
full-length mirror. En-suite SHOWER ROOM 2.52m x 1.97m with 90cm shower
cubicle, a vanitory unit with hand washbasin, large mirror with lights over and
shaver socket, low flush WC.
BEDROOM 2:
4.72 x 3.86 x 2.90m high. En-suite SHOWER ROOM 2.74m x 2.74m with 90cm shower
cubicle, a vanitory unit with hand washbasin, large mirror with lights over and
shaver socket, low flush WC.
LIVING ROOM:
6.50m x 3.33 x 2.90m high. Small stained glass window at one end, large window
and radiator at other.
Apartment Four
(two
bedrooms)
Also on the first floor, this apartment is
accessed by a 16th century spiral stone staircase, 3.44m in
diameter. Its front door opens onto a wood-floored hallway with exposed stone
features which leads to
LIVING ROOM:
6.51m x 3.89 x 3.07m high, double-aspect room with beamed ceiling and wood floor.
At one end, a fitted kitchen with 4-ring hob, multi-function oven,
refrigerator, dishwasher, stainless steel sink with single drainer in a range
of units and 2 more electric sockets. The living area of the room has a large
window overlooking the garden and swimming pool.
BEDROOM 1:
5.01m x 3.79m, overlooking the garden. En-suite SHOWER ROOM,2.87m x 1.88m, with
90cm shower cubicle, a vanitory unit with hand washbasin, large mirror with
lights over and shaver socket, low flush WC.
BEDROOM
2: 5.18m x 3.32m, double
aspect, walk-in cupboard with hanging rail and shelves housing apartment’s
water heater. En-suite SHOWER ROOM, 2.96m x 1.36m, with corner shower cubicle,
hand washbasin with large mirror with lights over and shaver socket, low flush
WC.
The tower’s spiral staircase continues to two
lofts:
LOFT 1 11.58m x 6.24m, and too
high to measure, floored with original terra cotta “tomettes”, small square
unglazed tiles. Three large dormer windows on garden side, three small windows
overlooking street. This loft houses the system that distributes TV programmes
to all the apartments but can only be used for storage as there are chest-high
horizontal roof timbers.
LOFT 2 7.54 x 6.12m, also too
high to measure, also floored with “tomettes.” Two large, high dormer windows
overlook the gardens and two further low, small windows overlook the street.
All services have been brought to this loft making it relatively
straightforward to convert, possibly taking advantage of the differing window
heights to make split-level accommodation.
There is a central hall with a partially glazed
room leading from the house’s main front door to the main terrace. Off this
hall is a staff cloakroom, WC and cupboard for cleaning materials.
Stable apartments
The other two apartments are both on two floors
in the converted stable block, a Napoleon III exposed stone building with brick
and stone coins and slate roofs.
There is a large entrance porch with stable
doors leading to each apartment. The whole building is insulated to a very high
standard, both for noise and warmth/coolness, and has electric underfloor
heating downstairs, electric radiators upstairs. Each apartment has its own
electric water heater which, together with the central heating, can be
controlled separately. All the equipment is housed in a room running behind
both the kitchens.
Both apartments have plenty of electric
sockets, VMC air extraction in kitchen, bathroom and WC areas, as well as TV
and telephone points in the living rooms.
Apartment Five
(one bedroom)
KITCHEN: 3.63m x 2.42m, having a range of pine units
housing a multi-function oven, 4-ring hob, microwave oven, refrigerator,
dishwasher and a double stoneware sink with single drainer.
LIVING ROOM:
6.43m x 5.27m, features the restored manger across the full width of the back
wall and a beamed ceiling. One exposed stone wall, one tufa limestone wall,
glazed tiled floor. Two large windows overlook the courtyard.
Oak staircase with
tufa wall leads up to
BEDROOM: 5.80m x 5.25m, plus hallway leading to
balcony. Exposed main roof timbers with sealed panelling. Two windows
overlooking the courtyard. Sealed wooden floor. Door to internal balcony shared
with other apartment.
BATHROOM: 2.54m x 1.43m. Panelled bath with
thermostatically controlled mixer bath/shower tap, hinged glass shower panel,
vanitory unit with hand washbasin, large mirror with lights over and shaver
socket. Fully tiled walls above bath, glazed tiled floor.
WC: 1.83m x 1.32m. Low flush suite, glazed tiled
floor.
Apartment Six
(2 bedrooms)
KITCHEN: Identical (back-to-back) to
LIVING ROOM:
6.85m x 6.17m. Exposed beams, open fireplace, one tufa limestone wall, 2 large
windows overlook the courtyard.
A Y-shaped oak staircase leads to the two
bedrooms.
BEDROOM
1: 4.45m x 2.60m, plus hallway
leading to bathroom and balcony. Sloping ceilings with exposed main roof
timbers and sealed panelling. Two windows overlook the courtyard. Sealed wooden
floor. Door to internal balcony shared with other apartment. Hall to
BATHROOM 1:
2.50m x 2.05m, 90cm shower cubicle, a vanitory unit with moulded hand washbasin
and surface, large mirror with lights over and shaver socket, low flush WC.
BEDROOM 2:
4.45m x 2.60m. Sloping ceilings with exposed main roof timbers and sealed
panelling. Sealed wooden floor. Two Velux windows with remote control
operation, two radiators. Hall to
BATHROOM 2:
2.50m x 2.05m, 90cm shower cubicle, a vanitory unit with moulded hand washbasin
and surface, large mirror with lights over and shaver socket, low flush WC.
La Maison Aubelle is available with its six apartments, the four in the
main house and the two in the stable block, as a discrete unit, or with the addition
of the adjoining, but independent, Bâtiment du Concorde, as follows.
Bâtiment du Concorde
There is a further building adjoining the
property which has just been restored externally and taken back to its original
construction internally. It is connected to all main services. Plans are
available to convert this building into three apartments and a commercial
space, using the ground floor, first floor and roof space, but these are not
binding on a future proprietor.
The Bâtiment du Concorde is available under a
separate sale agreement, and has great potential for a purchaser wishing to
extend or vary the current use of La Maison Aubelle.
Concorde building from west
Concorde building from south-east