For the price of a house in the UK, why not buy an entire hamlet in France?
If you love old stone buildings and you’re not fazed by a bit of renovation work, the medieval hamlet of Les Ages in the commune of Chartrier-Ferrière, bordering the Dordogne area may be just what you’re looking for…
With over 8 and a half acres of land to enjoy including 8 large natural stone houses, 42 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and a total of 4000m2 of habitable space there is certainly enough space to welcome guests!
At this point you may be wondering, or rather, fearing how much an entire hamlet would set you back? Well, that will be £276,000 (€369,250) please. Yes, that’s less than the average house price in Bath or Brighton and unfortunately it was snapped up in record time last week!
Dating back to the 13th century, the hamlet was once busy and bustling but over the years its inhabitants have formed part of the rural exodus moving to big French cities. The town was bought by a holiday village company in the 1970s. The village mayor, Guy Roques, notes that it was a lively place with lots going on until about two years ago, when it was bought by another group.
Despite losing all its original inhabitants, the village still retains lots of charm with natural stone buildings and slate roofs. Just on the border between the Limousin and the Dordogne, the hamlet is the perfect as a weekend (or longer) getaway. Visits from the UK are easy since it’s a 15 minute drive from Brive Dordogne Valley Airport. Les Ages certainly enjoys an enviable setting; the hamlet itself feels quiet and isolated yet is only a short drive from the bustling town of Brive-La-Gaillarde. During the Second World War, the town was a regional capital of the Resistance and is well known in French culture thanks to Georges Brassens and his song Hécatombe. Pop across to the Dordogne where you can visit the many châteaux dedicated to producing superb wines.
The new owner of the village who bought it for £276,000 (€369,250) will become the owner of:
– 8.64 acres (3.5 hectares) of land (lots of space to stretch your legs)
– 4000m2 (just under an acre!) of habitable space (just imagine the endless games of hide-and-seek to be played…)
– 8 natural stone houses (what better way to avoid the rut of routine by changing homes every day!)
– 42 bedrooms (just 10 bedrooms short of a different one every week for a year)
– 24 bathrooms (no more waiting for the bathroom!)
– 1 bread oven (no need to suffer from the widespread #FrenchProblem of waiting in the queue at the boulangerie)
– A function room
– A restaurant
Check out the hamlet in this video, a highlight has to be the estate agent’s trouble as he attempts to find the front door key among the vast collection of keys. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2fhaml_hameau-a-vendre-en-correze_news
If there are any more hamlets on sale, we will be sure to keep you informed!
PS: The village is now sold (that was quick! less than a week).
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