Credit: LP/Moise ROGEZ
Immovable
Visit of an exceptional property: the Château d'Aunoy, in Seine-et-Marne, for sale for 14.9 million euros
Aunoy Castle is for sale.
This little 18th century gem, in very good condition, conceals a real treasure: an English-style park of 18 hectares.
Sebastien Thomas and Stanislas de Livonniere
Last update: 09/23/2022
The Château d'Aunoy, rebuilt in 1750 after a fire, was one of the first to be built entirely in stone, excluding the use of wood, to avoid a new tragedy.
This gives the building extreme solidity and greatly facilitates its maintenance.
Read alsoVisit of an exceptional property: a completely redone house in the Marais in Paris
It is an exceptional castle in more ways than one: classified as a Historic Monument, it was the first in France to introduce the English-style park.
In addition to its typical layout, it now offers an area that cannot be found in Ile-de-France: 18 ha of parkland, but also no less than 52 ha of forest.
Finally, its stone frame, right down to its frame, makes it a unique building of its kind less than 60 km from Paris.
Map
Twenty rooms and 800 square meters
The chateau, classified as a historical monument, extends over three levels, has 20 rooms, or 800 m2 of living space.
For its construction, a rare technique with brickwork attics, so-called "Saracen" vaults was chosen, which allows a distribution of rooms without loss of space, and avoids unnecessary corridors.
"If the castle was a ring, its park would be its setting"
Olivier de Chabot-Tramecourt, general manager of the Mercure real estate group, in charge of the sale of the château.
“Everything here is on a human scale,” continues Jean-Louis Tapiau.
There is nothing extraordinary but everything fits naturally.
It is both this simplicity and this authenticity that makes the strength of this place.
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View of the park, the castle and its outbuildings
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Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
View of the park, the castle and its outbuildings
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Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
View of the park, the castle and its outbuildings
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Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
View of the park, the castle and its outbuildings
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Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
View of the park, the castle and its outbuildings
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Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
View of the facade of the castle
Perspective of the entrance, through the grid
Credit: LP/Moise Rogez
The castle has not changed since its origins in 1750. Facing south/north, it allows its rear facade to be flooded with sunlight.
To the left and right of the building, two terraces of nearly 40 m2 are accessible from the bedrooms and offer an incredible view of the park.
Here, the old stables which are now used to organize receptions (weddings, art exhibitions).
The immense cellist Mstislav Rostropovich has performed at the castle on several occasions.
The large building was the old garage which was used to store coaches.
Its first floor is fully furnished and houses the caretaker's accommodation.
Here, you can see the vegetable garden and then in its extension the orangery, which has recently been redone.
Facing south, it could accommodate a swimming pool according to its current owner.
The roof of the castle was redone in the 80s in slate.
“It could therefore last a hundred years,” assures Olivier de Chabot-Tramecourt.
An exceptional garden, steeped in history
The Château d'Aunoy is the first in France to inaugurate an English-style park.
“The park is, more or less, the same as the one that was imagined in 1750, assures the owner.
The Prince of Conti, Marie-Adélaide de Bourbon or the Duchess of Chartres travel in person to discover this extraordinary novelty.
Only the garage and the orangery were added in the 19th century”.
Several scenes from the film "The Return of the Hero" with Jean Dujardin were filmed here.
"Unlike the French-style parks where nature is subject to the whims of men, in the English park, man and nature live in harmony".
Jean Louis Tapiau
Each part of the park has its specificities.
In total, it thus includes a hermitage, an obelisk, an ice house/belvedere, a tower, three pieces of water, paths lined with century-old trees, many box trees and flowerbeds, an orchard, a vegetable garden with greenhouses, a orangery.
The piece of water
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
Booth
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The 270 year old tree
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The statue in the aisle
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The park therefore offers three pieces of water which thus make it possible to supply all the flora of the site.
The castle even has a spring.
The land is also able to accommodate a swimming pool at the level of the Orangery which could be filled with water from the spring.
This wooden kiosk was built exclusively with wood from the estate.
Small originality, it is located on an island, connected by a bridge.
In total, the park has three pieces of water.
As incredible as it may seem, this tree is 270 years old.
It was planted when the castle was built.
It is an oak/maple hybrid from China.
Ten days ago, a Chinese clothing brand came specially from China to do a 6-day photo shoot on this magnificent specimen.
He is one of the few who did not move during the 1999 storm.
The park has been completely restored in recent years, in accordance with the study and the specifications of the Historic Monuments and more than 3,500 plantations have been ordered by a landscaper: note that the park will reach maturity by 5 to 10 years and its service life will be about 40 years.
On the ground floor
Bertrand Tavernier's film, "Let the party begin", with Philippe Noiret and Jean Rochefort, was shot on the site and in particular in this lounge.
All furniture and decorations can be sold with the castle.
And all the fireplaces are functional.
The parquet floor is in oak, tip of Hungary.
The living room
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The small living room
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The dining room
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The small dining room
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
This is the largest room in the castle.
It benefits from a triple exposure on the park, the entrance and the terrace.
Jean-Pierre Tapiau, antique dealer by profession, decorated it with many elements of contemporary art.
Rare fact for a private castle: the ceiling is painted and the height rises to 5 meters.
A second smaller living room which also serves as an office.
Here again, the owner has subtly mixed tradition and contemporary art, as with this portrait of Michael Jackson.
Small peculiarity: on the wall, in height, are painted four paintings at different times of the day.
This dining room was an entry at the time.
"This type of room did not exist at the time," smiles Jean-Pierre Tapiau.
Generally, the owners were served in the living room”.
“I transformed this room for practical reasons because it is close to the kitchens, which greatly facilitates movement”.
This room, located in the left wing of the castle, belongs to the winter apartments.
It is smaller and above all less high in the ceiling simply to allow faster heating when the temperatures drop.
"Behind this room you have a whole system of corridors which allowed the servants to meet the needs of the occupants while remaining perfectly invisible" details the squire.
First floor
The first bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The bathroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The second bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The third bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The dream of any heavy sleeper: a 35 m2 bedroom, with a bed almost 2 m wide and a double exposure on the park and the terrace.
This is the largest bedroom in the castle.
Here again, we find the contemporary art touch of the owner with this painting above the bed.
Upstairs, more parquet but carpet.
Stars like Celine Dion or Sophia Loren have been there.
Who says large bedroom, says huge bathroom.
This room (there is one in each bedroom) is the only sacrifice to modernity that has been made by successive owners.
"Obviously, in the 18th century, these functions did not exist, but the simplicity of the castle's structure made it possible to fit them into each room", explains Jean-Louis Tapiau.
Small particularity of this one, the taps of the marble basins are activated by the foot on a button located on the ground.
This is the room occupied by the castellan, no carpet on the floor but original floor tiles.
"It is certainly smaller but it is located in the center of the building which allows me to have a view of the whole park in the morning when I get up, he enthuses.
I open the window and I hear the birds”.
We find the original tiles on the ground.
These are the bedrooms of the owner's daughters.
They communicate with each other which explains the similar decoration while it varies for each of the other rooms.
They are both equipped with bathroom.
Again, both rooms offer a breathtaking view of the park.
They are also equipped with fireplaces, both functional.
On the second floor
"This site has all the advantages of a castle thanks to its park and those of a private mansion because the rooms are perfectly laid out to simplify everyone's life," enthuses Jean-Louis Tapiau.
In the archives, I even found a marshal who settled here in the 19th century… at the age of 70.
And he lived there until his death at age 90.
The fourth bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The fifth bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
The sixth bedroom
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Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin
It is not because the rooms are located under the roofs that they are less habitable.
Apart from a lower ceiling height, they are perfectly functional.
Like this one with its hanging bed, the only one in the castle.
Each room is different with wall patterns and colors that vary, often quite shimmering hues.
Unlike the first floor, which favors terracotta, the second will only be covered with carpets.
Each room is equipped with televisions.
This is the last bedroom, again with a different decoration.
In total, there are therefore seven suites and three bedrooms.
About twenty people can therefore live comfortably in the castle.
And even more if we take into account the winter apartments.
Let's talk finance.
The property is put up for sale at 14.8 million euros.
In terms of upkeep, it takes about €100,000/year all inclusive, ie the staff to manage the park and the castle as well as the fuel oil heating.
The property tax is €12,000/year.
The current owner organizes weddings in the outbuildings (800 m2) which can accommodate between 200 and 250 people.
The rental is 6,500 euros for a weekend and 4,000 euros more with all the rooms.
See as well
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