Incredible country house estate with 6 dwellings, extensive grounds, ideal for horses, 15 mins from town

Unusual domaine/country estate consisting of a large former hunting lodge with 11 bedrooms, library/music room, billiard room, several reception rooms, and incorporating a three-bedroom caretaker’s home. Also on the property, clustered around walled gardens are four further houses. Each has its own garden. Rental income from two of the houses is already in place. Scope for modernisation and improvement whilst retaining the character of a 19th-century aristocratic hunting estate. Ideal for equestrian, eco-, events, weddings, retreats and tourism projects.
The feeling here is of pure peace. The small lake, stream and spring add the charm of water. The meadows and woodlands offer space and isolation. The views of the distant Pyrenees bring the drama. There is potential in this place for so many projects. The inspiration is here, you’ll need to bring the capacity to take this domaine into the next chapter of its long story.

Drive into the hills above Sorèze, turn off along a quiet back road, don't get distracted by the glimpses of the Pyrenees beyond the woods and meadows, and arrive at this place of beauty and peace. We’ll approach the property in the most logical order possible, starting with the big house. All of the public rooms on the ground floor feature parquet flooring, wooden panelling and mouldings, fireplaces and casement windows reaching upwards to the 3.5 m-high ceilings. Central heating.

On the north side, enter via a stone vestibule into a spacious entrance hall (28 m²). Stairs to the left, a reception room to the right and ahead, access to the long central hallway. This would make the perfect reception area for any business activity, with easy vehicle access and, potentially, parking.
Almost 40 metres in length, the central corridor/gallery runs the entire length of the house from east to west and gives access to each of the rooms. Decorative stone tile floor. Casement windows at each end. The eastern end is closed off by glazed doors to screen the central heating boiler and a utility space.
Proceeding along the gallery, first to the right, we find a second door into that first reception room, window to the north, dark marble fireplace, wooden floorboards. (27m²)
Past this reception room, we come to the more utilitarian areas of the house. A kitchen with modern fitted units along one wall, cabinets beneath and over. Gas hob, electric oven, double sink, dishwasher. On the opposite wall, the old fireplace housing the original range cooker. Glazed external door. Tomette terracotta floor tiles. (19 m²)
A side hallway (12 m²) gives access to back stairs leading to the top floor, storage and electrical panel. From this hallway, a door into a large storage space (15 m²), part of the old wine store, with a double height ceiling and large double doors to the exterior. Beyond this, the garage is accessed via a garage door from the west end of the house.
We now make our way back along the central gallery. At the western end is a lavatory, small window to side of house.
Next, a bedroom (15 m²) with en-suite bathroom (7 m²), featuring separate bath and shower, wash basin. Windows to south.
Next-door, a bedroom of 30 m². This large room communicates with the bedroom to either side and each has a fireplace. It would therefore make a magnificent master suite with a dressing room each and that private bathroom. This is likely to have been the original use.
Moving further along the hall, we arrive at a pair of double doors leading into the library and music room. French windows lead out onto the south terrace, flanked by large windows to either side making this room wonderfully light and airy. Fireplace, bookcases, parquet floor. (42 m² )
The library communicates via a further set of double doors to the billiard room. Fireplace, parquet floor, windows to the south, door to central gallery. (35 m²)
From the billiard room we move to the dining room of grand proportions, with its marble fireplace, three windows and elegant feel. (44 m²)
From here, we move back to the large entrance hall where we find a beautifully crafted oak staircase leading to the first floor.

To summarise, as there is a lot to get through, we find here 3 bedrooms of approximately 30 m² each, 5 bedrooms of approximately 15 m² each, four bathrooms, several store rooms and a separate lavatory. At the western end of the property, above the garage and store is a large vaulted space once used for wine, now a handy storage area. The back stairs lead up to the vast attic space which is dry and boarded.
The bedrooms all feature windows overlooking the south side of the property, with views of the Pyrenees on clear days.

The big house also features a separate caretaker’s apartment over two floors. Access from the north side of the building, to the left of the main entrance, French windows lead into a large kitchen with water heater, sink and counter. Terracotta floor tiles. Wood-clad ceiling. Window to north. From here, a padded door gives access to the central corridor of the main house, in the utility area located at the eastern end. This would make it possible to prepare meals in this space, use the utility area as a staging zone and then take them through to the grand dining room. (27 m²)
From the kitchen, into a large living space with fireplace, tiled floor, exposed beams, window to north, oak stairs to first floor (25 m²).
At the top of the stairs we find a shower room with WC and basin, window to north. A corridor gives access to the main house and three further bedrooms, each with a window to the north:
Bedroom 1 (9.7 m²)
Bedroom 2 (12 m²)
Bedroom 3 (15 m²) with built-in storage cupboards/wardrobes.
This is an independent dwelling with access on both floors to the main house. Original tomette floor tiles in most rooms.

When this property was in use as a hunting estate, the kitchen here was used to prepare and cook the game brought home by the family and their guests. It now offers a space with potential as staff accommodation, a bigger kitchen for the main house or whatever purpose seems to you most appropriate.
The stories about the house and its former guests are fascinating and include horse-riding through the gallery, upstairs fun-and-games via the communicating bedrooms and a family connection with Montgolfier of ballooning fame. The history of human habitation goes back much further, though the Cathar settlement in the woods to the Romans and surely beyond.

Exterior

On the south side of the house, accessible via the French windows, we find a stone terrace with balustrade and stone steps leading down to a gravelled area, then lawn offering fine views across the hilltops to the distant snow-capped Pyrenees. This is a perfect area for entertaining in summer with intimate spots under the shade of the trees and a broad grassed area ideal for placing a marquee or running around.
The north side of the house, as already mentioned, is where the front door is situated and guests would normally be greeted. It, too, features a broad gravelled area merging into a grassy slope down to the small lake fed from the lavoir, or spring-fed laundry house – a wonderful original feature.
Beyond the lake, a broad pasture leads off into the distance, bounded by trees on each side. A perfect home for horses or other animals.

The four houses in the grounds

Le Grand Pavilion (117 m²)
Once the gamekeeper’s home this is a three-bedroom house with fitted kitchen, dining room, living room, utility room and bathroom as well as an attic space suitable for office or further bedroom. Small walled garden, outbuilding with three separate storage rooms and access to store rooms in the neighbouring barn.

Le Petit Pavilion (60 m²)
A one-bedroom home with kitchen/dining room, living room, and under the eaves one bedroom and a shower room. Walled garden.

The Gardener’s Cottage (80 m²)
A cosy nest, currently let to tenants. Central living room with fireplace, to the left the welcoming kitchen, to the right a bedroom. From the living room, stairs up to a generous landing giving access to a small bedroom/office and a spacious bathroom. A ladder provides access to the converted loft which makes an excellent bedroom or office for anyone lithe enough. Alternatively, a more conventional staircase could be added.

The Orangerie (108 m²)
Formerly used by the gardening staff for forcing early produce and as a potting shed and tool store, this building has now been converted into a lovely modern home. Large, light and welcoming living room with fireplace, leading into a modern kitchen/dining room and further into a pleasant bathroom. From the living room, broad stairs lead up to a spacious open-plan room (office? bedroom? second living space?) giving further onto a smaller bedroom or dressing room from whence we access the modern shower room. Heated by a geothermal system, this house is efficient to run and pleasant to live in. Broad stone terrace. Currently occupied by a tenant.

These four houses are arranged around a large walled garden which was once the source of all the fruits and vegetables for the house. The gardener's cottage has access to its own separate garden.
Barn with potential as stables.

Over 10 hectares/26 acres of gentle land situated on a plateau high in the Montagne Noire. This beautiful estate consists of grasslands, woodland, coppiced woods, gardens and parkland. Neighbouring farms raise horses and cattle on a small scale.
There is evidence that this place has been inhabited since at least Roman times. There are traces of an ancient Cathar settlement in the woods and the history of the current estate goes back to 1800 when the house was built and subsequently owned by three different aristocratic families. It has been in the hands of the current owners since 1944 when it was bought as a wedding gift. It now passes into new hands and the hope is that it will be given a new lease of life. Perhaps you won't have the full complement of 60 staff but the right people full of ideas and energy will reinvest this special place with life, love and happiness.
The estate is located only 10 km from the nearest significant village, Sorèze, and 15 kilometres from the market town of Revel. Markets, supermarkets, medical services, schools and other local amenities are therefore within an easy 15 to 20-minute drive. Both towns enjoy a history going back centuries and there are museums, an abbey and castles to visit as well as three nearby lakes and plenty of cultural and sporting activities to engage in. From your front door, enjoy walks and rides through the peaceful countryside. Just a little further away there are plenty of fascinating towns and villages to explore, Toulouse offers city thrills and excellent transport links and family and visitors alike can make the most of the cultural heritage of the southwest of France.
Contact me for information, plans and viewings.

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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr