Valence, Rhône 26000

A listed 18th-century chateau with medieval origins, outhouses and grounds, tucked away on the hills of France's Drôme department, in the south-east of the country. The chateau and its outhouses form a coherent series of buildings in the middle of tree-dotted grounds, which lie slightly above the road that leads to the local village. The chateau is rectangular in shape with an adjoining tower at each corner and a square keep that adjoins the northern elevation. It offers a 720m² floor area and has a ground floor, a first floor, a second floor and a third floor. Multi-sloped roofs with old tiles bear witness to successive construction projects on the edifice. The stone elevations display pale-ochre pointing. They are punctuated with both evenly spaced windows and older openings too, reflecting the edifice's evolution over the centuries. A straight driveway runs through the grounds to the outhouses, which are set back. There is a former stable, an orangery, a barn and a woodstore. They are arranged around a courtyard. Tall trees form a natural barrier that separates the chateau from its immediate surroundings. A vast terrace stretches southwards and a landscaped garden slopes gently down to lower land. The whole complex was designed as a seigneurial estate but on a limited scale, with each building playing a role in a well-structured arrangement.