If you are planning a holiday here you will be curious as to what you will find?
The Pigeonnaire
Our Pigeonnaire started life as a simple two room farm workers house; maybe used as an overspill from the main Farmhouse?
Now it boasts a fine Pigeonnaire tower housing a very spacious bedroom with authentic French bed. The pigeonnaire is the feature of the property, with high exposed ceiling built by Jean Janouix, a local craftsman.
The bedroom has four windows so it is very light and airy with traditional lime plastered walls, exposed wood and traditional hand-made windows.
Bathroom
The bathroom looks out over the fields and beyond.
The bathroom is designed to be both practical yet retain that rustic charm with exposed stone, tile and traditional crepie, together with the lime plaster and exposed wood ceiling. The use of plasterboard has been kept to an absolute minimum and traditional methods used wherever feasible. (there is no bath but it is a feature we plan one day).
The upstairs floors are all bare pine boards, adding even more to its rustic charm.
Between the master bedroom and the bathroom is the spacious but unusual landing, with steel balustrade - it is, quite literally, the centre piece of the house - the proudly dominating, spiral staircase.
Downstairs bedroom
Bedroom two is downstairs and is equipped with two genuine single French beds in the same style as the master bedroom.
The bedroom is kept cool by the genuine re-claimed Terracotta tiles which adorn all of the ground floor.
There is a an ornamental antique woodburning stove in the original simple fire place.
The bedroom has its own door straight onto the terrace which is ideal for breakfast, All the doors internally are originals to the building, adding to its mix of authenticity, charm and calm beauty.
Kitchen/living area
The kitchen and dining area are very spacious and seating six around the large table is easy.
There is a wood burning stove should you choose that winter break. Cooking is by gas cooker, with gas oven.
There is a Belfast type sink set into handmade elm work surfaces but the best bit about the kitchen is the view when you are doing the washing up. We have a dishwasher but I can imagine everyone fighting to wash the dishes by hand, just to look out over the rolling countryside.
The salon is comfortable open plan with a sofa and two armchairs for relaxing and listening to music. A CD player is provided. There is no television.
Leading from the double French doors onto the terrace with table and chairs you take in the view. The swimming pool has been designed for maximum safety and security and visible from both the terrace and kitchen windows and separate BBQ area under the lime tree, whilst also fitting magnificently into the landscape.
8m x 4m Swimming pool
The pool 8m x 4m is built in the same style as the house using local stone.
Half of the pool appears to be in the ground and half rising to give an infinity effect. There is a 2m deep end with a shallow end of 1 metre.
The pool is spacious whilst remaining proportional and sympathetic to its surroundings.
All views from the terrace and pool face south west but the whole property enjoys 360 degree panoramic views with only a handful of stone properties visible in the distance. We have no close neighbours. Save for the quiet rural road that passes the boundary of the property the nearest semi-busy road is 1.5 miles away but it cannot be seen or heard.
Outside eating.
Whilst a small portable BBQ is supplied with your accommodation there is a larger BBQ for your use under the lime tree.
You may also BBQ in our woods or surrounding grounds if the conditions allow and camp fires are permissible in the cooler seasons.
The grounds themselves extend to over 19 acres and guests are free to explore. Beyond our grounds there is unlimited countryside in which to walk or cycle - the local lanes are practically free from traffic.Walking into Monflanquin will take you about 40 minutes via the public footpath that passes along our boundary. There is only a short walk on the road for about 10 minutes as you reach Monflanquin itself.
The route through countryside passes an old water mill, farms and fields.