Saint-Maixent-l'École, Charente 79400

An elegant manor, with a holiday cottage, outbuildings and grounds, overlooking the Sèvre River valley and the small town of Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole. Resembling a small and immaculately designed chateau, the manor is topped with two pyramidal roofs, each punctuated by a dormer, which crown the main façade and its three rows of vertical windows, while, on either side, two short wings, with the same height as the central structure, are set back slightly. Facing the grounds, the three-storey dwelling boasts an exterior with five rows of vertical windows, whereas the living areas - a drawing room, a study, a dining room, flanked by a cosy breakfast nook, and a contemporary kitchen - can be found on the garden level on either side of a wide, dual-aspect and sunny entrance hall. As for the small adjacent extension, it contains the service areas, such as a former kitchen, a workshop, a (fuel oil) boiler room and a lavatory, while the five first-floor bedrooms, in a variety of sizes, provide a number of different views and amenities, such as a bathtub in the bedroom itself and a large shower room for one, a shower room and a lavatory for another, a bathroom for the third, as well as a separate lavatory with a washbasin. In addition, the second floor is made up of four bedrooms (including one with a shower room and lavatory), as well as a bathroom and a lavatory, whereas a large portion of the manor's electrical system and plumbing has recently been redone. With a fuel oil boiler powering the radiators, three hot water heaters are used to provide hot water, while the dwelling also features fibre-optic Internet as well as a cellar extending under half of the edifice. Abutting the manor, a holiday cottage (currently occupied by a three-year lease), with pointed stone walls and giving directly on to the 10 x 4-metre swimming pool, includes a bedroom with a wardrobe and a shower room on the garden level, as well as a sitting room, a bedroom, a bathroom and a lavatory upstairs. On the other side of the courtyard, the outbuildings, cadenced by seven rows of vertical windows, are conducive to a number of current and potential uses, whereas the grounds, of more than five hectares and completely enclosed by a wall, fencing and a moat, are planted with many different trees, which not only offer welcome shade, but plenty of beauty as well.