Château for Sale
Modernised Medieval Chateau in France - Reference 171153003

This is a genuine medieval castle located in a region famous for its history, weather, food and wine. Built between the 12th and the 16th centuries, this castle (known in France as a château fort) is located in the history-rich south West France and is easily accesible from Europe and the USA. The chateau is a medieval castle, recently refurbished, and now offering the utmost comfort and luxury, with an estate of 160 acres.

The castle's recorded history dates back to 1354, although it may already have been centuries old. It has changed hands several times since then, being owned by series of siegneurs up to the French Revolution. In the twentieth century it was owned by a famous French singer and sold to its present American owners in 2000.

Since 2001 a major renovation program has been undertaken so that today the castle is a comfortable residence, though retaining its medieval personality. It has immense potential both as a private residence and as a business.

Location

The castle is located in the heart of the ancient province of Quercy, in south west France, about 1-1/2 hour north of Toulouse, and about 1-3/4 hour east of Bordeaux. It lies in the midst of wine country and in a region well known for its cuisine. The Quercy was, in medieval times, a province of the Count de Toulouse, and saw continuous fighting between the French and the English during the 100 Year War. Hence the profusion of historical monuments, fortified cities, well defended fortresses and battle scenes

Today, the English have come back in a more peaceful way, lured by the wonderful weather, quality of life and unequalled cuisine, bringing with them charter and schedules flights from London to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bergerac, and the all-new airport of Cressensac, near Brive, a mere 40 minutes away.

The castle is easily accessible from anywhere in the world in view of the numerous international airports nearby, the A-20 freeway just 10 miles away, and a train direct from Paris or Toulouse..

FROM THE USA:
Numerous flights from all major US cities to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bergerac, or Cressensac through London, Madrid, Barcelona or Paris.

FROM EUROPE:
Many non-stop flights to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bergerac or Cressensac from all major European cities: London, Brussels, Madrid, Frankfurt or Milan.

FROM PARIS:
By car on the A-20 motorway the trip from Paris takes about 5 hours now, with the speed limits.

FROM TOULOUSE:
By caror train the trip duration is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Activities and Facilities

Swimming Pool. With a pool-side area of more than 500 square metres, a 60 square metres pool, a diving board, the swimming pool is adapted to both relaxation and sport.

Jacuzzi: Close to the swimming pool, the circular jacuzzi is conceived to welcome eight people.

Tennis: A porous concrete tennis court with standard dimensions enables you to play after the rain. You can play tennis at night thanks to a halogen lighting.

Fitness Centre: Built by the owner, the gym provides modern equipment for body-building or cadiovascular exercises. There is a machine with 5 different positions for body building.

Sauna, Hammam, Turkish Bath: With about 2x3 metres, the sauna / Turkish bath, conform to standards, and can hold eight people. Near the swimming pool, you only have to take a step to plunge into the fresh water.

More Activities and Facilities

The vineyard of the château is in full development. With a cepage of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the château produces a wine of superior quality deserving to age 5-6 years as a minimum. Try the last "millesime" and compare with previous years'.

Three horse carts are available to experienced carriage drivers for local exploration as in medieval times. Visit the nearby sites, or drive your cart for a visit to the local open air market.

With more than 100 acres of park and forest, a large domain is at your disposal for trekking and walking trips in nature and at your pace. Catch a glimpse of the deer or observe a pheasant. Taste the fruits of the orchard or walk up to the vineyard, this is real nature!

The river nearby is the playground of trout and many other fish. Bring your gear and explore the nearby rivers for trout.

Although small in size, the planned golf practice will allow you to maintain your put or your swing right on site.

Four recent Indian canoes are available to paddle down the Dordogne river nearby at your own pace.

Nearby are Numerous attractions, including other historic castles, historic towns, abbeys, churches and caves including the famous caves at Lascaux, Pech Merle, Cougnac, Lacave, Padirac and Les Eyzies.

Caretaker (Gardian)

A castle needs a caretaker (French gardian), especially when the owners are not living on site.

The castle has an excellent caretaker in Jean Pierre a native of the area. He lives, with his wife, very close by. He is an independent contractor with his own business. He knows everything: how the heating is set up and works, where the conduits are located, what to do in case of a storm, where to buy stuff. And he can do anything around the castle: maintain and improve the garden, install a new bathroom, take care of the vineyard, fix farm tractors, make wine, trim or prune trees, pare a deer etc. He is in love with the castle and is looking forward to continuing to help its new owners.

His wife is also indispensable to the smooth operation of the castle. From getting the whole place cleaned up and ready for a reception, to provisioning the pantry for the owner's party, to overlooking the laundry needs, she is a perfect complement to what Jean Pierre does. She is also a fantastic cook and will prepare, for the owner or for others, superb meals with unique local recipes. And arriving late at the castle and enjoying there a great dinner prepared by her is a memorable experience.

Business Potential

While the castle was always meant to be a private residence after its defensive purpose of medieval times, its size, and the quality of its renovation make it suitable for many different activities such as receptions, concerts, master classes, seminars, retreats, luxury bed & breakfast, hotel, nature camps, horse riding halts, film casting, filming, and a lot more.

For the time being the castle is rented exclusively for private events such as weddings, family reunions, anniversaries, and family vacations - events generally including accommodation.

A typical rental costs around Euros 8,000 (US$ 10,500) per week.

Current yearly rentals amount to US$60,000 - $80,000 per year, without intensive advertising.

By developing some of the activities listed above, the business generated by the castle and estate could be easily developed as follows:

Some Statistics

Legal Aspects

There are few restrictions on non-French nationals owning property in France.

The castle and all its land is currently owned by a French Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI). The title is free and clear. There are no back taxes or encumbrances of any type.

The SCI has no business of any kind. Its only purpose is to own the property. There are therefore no possible hidden liabilities. A guarantee to the effect can be provided.

The shares of the SCI are owned by a UK registered company. It also has no business of any sort and therefore no hidden liabilities. Again, a guarantee to that effect can be provided.

The transfer of the property can be done most efficiently by transferring the shares of the UK company and there will therefore be no recording fees to pay in France. The owner is open to alternative ways of selling the property and vehicles for ownership.

Additional information is available to serious prospective investors.

Price

The price of the castle, including the 43 hectares (c 110 acres) estate is 3.5 million Euros.

Optional Extras - Farm - 550,000 Euros

A nearby farm is available. It comes with a barn converted into a 4 bedroom two bath, two level residence with fantastic views and 24 hectares (60 acres, half pastures, half woods) and a pool: Euros 550,000

Optional Extras - Furniture - By Negotiation

The furniture is all reproduction French furniture, mostly of Gothic, Louis XIII and Regency style. Most of it was made from pictures and dimensions obtained from the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Rugs are hand made Persian rugs. Beds are canopy beds, 4-poster beds, Louis XIV style, or Louis Philippe (sleigh beds), all queen size except four twins. All the mattresses are the best quality: top quality double pillow from the best US manufacturers. Many ancient tables, coffee tables etc . All the outside furniture is solid teak, with 65 folding chairs, lounge chairs for the pool etc.

“wedding” furniture includes 110 rectangular folding tables, 400 folding chairs, party tents and a lot more.

With the exception of a few pieces and the piano, all this is available for sale along with the castle. Price negotiable.

Optional Equipment - By Negotiation

There is one Volvo truck with a crane, convenient for the renovation work, lots of construction equipment, scaffolding, etc.

All this is available for sale along with the castle. Price negotiable.

Optional Farm Equipment - By Negotiation

Farm equipment consists of two farm tractors with many implements, two wine making barrels, stainless steel wine storage tanks for a total of 3,500 liters.

All this is available for sale along with the farm. Price negotiable.