Troyes, Ardennes 10000

In the centre of the Aube, 1 hour 30 minutes from Paris, an elegant 19th century mansion. And its courtyard-garden. Completely enclosed by high stone walls, the property opens via a wicket gate which commands a paved courtyard allowing access to the house and its outbuilding. The house, in the centre of the grounds, built at the corner of two streets, has a classical style concerned with elegance. Four storeys high and facing south-west, it is built of cut and pointed millstone, punctuated by low-arched bays and red and brown brick frames, like the stringcourses and the cornice, which mark fairly regular horizontal boundaries between the levels. The high windows, with white frames, bordered by black wrought iron railings with decorative motifs and protected by metal folding shutters, contribute to the singular character of the whole. The left bay of the façade is part of a triangular pedimented projection, which breaks the symmetry of the whole. The lush garden is organized around a green lawn, a large number of potted plants, a paved terrace and a densely vegetated wall that protects from the vis-à-vis. Located in the south-west part of the plot, accessible via the main street and the courtyard, the one-storey outbuilding opens via a glazed door and workshop-type windows, it is covered with a flat zinc roof and bordered by climbing plants complemented by a bed of hydrangeas. Further on, a bed of various flowers occupies a large part of the courtyard space, alongside multiple pruned boxwoods.