Description
Hidden from view by a kilometer long drive through oak wood, Monpazier Hideaway is a beautiful small chateau with a round tower within only 2 miles of the historic medieval town of Monpazier. The house originates from the 14th Century and was built by the de Merle family. Most of the current house was built by the de Constantin family in the 1650’s who owned the property for many generations until they had to flee to Spain during the French Revolution. Monpazier Hideaway is perfect for up to 12 guests as the villa has 6 en-suite bedrooms.
The current owners oversaw the complete restoration of the property in a sympathetic manner from 2003 to 2008, including the creation of beautiful stone and wooden floors, a geothermal heating system, a central vacuum system, a lift, new electrics & plumbing, restoration of the monumental beamed ceilings, window frames and fireplaces. In the tower, there is a magnificent bar underneath the timber frames of the turret on the top floor as well as a library in the floor below. This includes hand crafted walnut library cabinets and bar units.
The house has a large heated salt water filtration pool built in 2008 measuring 46 x 23 ft with wonderful Cahors stone terracing. It has an automatic cover and can be lit at night.
Upon entering the oak studded doors, one enters the front hall which leads to the original medieval wide stone staircase flanked by walls of large limestone blocks. On the ground floor, there is a 33 ft Grand Salon with a floor to ceiling 17th Century chimney piece and working fireplace, a Sitting Room with a large Toshiba flat screen plasma TV and a large working fireplace, a study with high speed broadband access, a dining room with a large working fireplace and a fully equipped modern kitchen. The Grand Salon has yellow damask sofas and chairs, 19th Century oil paintings and antique furniture. All the other principal rooms are also decorated with antiques and 19th C oil paintings.
All of the ground floor rooms have magnificent monumental oak ceilings. There are stone floors with under-floor heating throughout the ground floor. All of these rooms are very light with windows on both sides and south facing French windows. There are original fireplaces in the TV room and dining room as well as the Grand Salon. There is a large LED flat screen Toshiba TV system in the sitting room which has all the UK Sky channels as well as the Sky plus recording facility. The study has windows on all three sides and has a 2008 English language high spec personal computer with high speed broadband access. The kitchen was finished in 2006 and includes granite surfaces, a granite central island, 6 contemporary bar stools, a large gas cooking range and electric oven, a microwave and dishwasher.
At the base of the tower is an equipment room which houses a large Whirlpool washer and dryer, two geothermal heat exchangers, the gas boiler and the tank for the central vacuum system. The house can also be heated using gas from a large modern LNG storage tank buried in the garden.
On the first floor (2nd American floor) landing, a small library is located in the tower, which includes hand crafted walnut library cabinets and shelves and two Italian leather arm chairs.
On the first floor there is a 33 ft master bedroom with a hand carved linen-fold four poster bed (super king size), a dressing table, desk, a large sitting area with a sofa, two arm chairs, and Sky TV access. It has an en-suite bathroom with contemporary French fixtures and fittings. At the other end of the floor is a large guest suite with its own private sitting room (also with Sky TV access), an en-suite bathroom and a bedroom with a hand carved oak four poster bed (super king size). This guest bedroom suite has original working fireplaces in the bedroom and sitting room. The floors on this “etage” are all made of solid oak.
On the second floor landing is the bar which is housed at the top of the round tower. There are lights above the bar shining upwards to illuminate the original beams all the way to the apex of the turret. The room includes a carved walnut bar with a granite top, a zinc sink, four Italian leather bar stools and two beautifully carved walnut drinks cabinets.
On the top floor, the magnificent original 17th C exposed ceiling beams at the top of the stairs are lit with spotlights at night. There are four bedrooms on this floor, three doubles and one twin. Two of these bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and two have en-suite shower rooms. All have solid oak floors.
Monpazier Getaway is only 3 km from the small town of Monpazier, which is one of the prettiest and best preserved bastides in the Dordogne. The town was built by the English King Edward 1st in 1284 and still has an authentic town square with medieval houses and a covered market. There are numerous events held in Monpazier in the summer months, ranging from a medieval fair, musical concerts and a bicycle race around the town walls. Monpazier has a market on Thursday mornings throughout the year which has been in continuous existence for many centuries. Monpazier has numerous restaurants, gift shops & coffee bars. It also has two convenience stores (Casino and Spa), as well as several butchers and bakers.
Within close proximity to Monpazier there are attractions such as Chateau de Biron, Abbaye de Cadouin, horse riding and rope climbing. Also within easy reach are key attractions in the Dordogne Valley such as Sarlat, Chateau de Beynac, Chateau de Milandes, Domme, La Rocque-Gageac, Chateau de Monbazillac, Bergerac Old Town, Grotte de Proumeysac, Chateau de Castelnaud, vineyard tours (Bergerac or Bordeaux) and canoeing on the Dordogne river.
