This lovely stone house sits a few hundred yards off the main square of the quaint small market and tourist town of Mirande in the Gers. The house dates to the 15th century and is the oldest in Mirande. The property features a large historic courtyard with an ancient well and restored original columbage.
The house consists of two distinct parts around the courtyard, linked to each other at each level but also capable of being entirely independent of each other. The garden side (425 m²) is accessed from a quiet street and has been entirely renovated with exceptional taste into a three reception, four bedroom, four bathroom home. It is currently used as a luxury holiday rental unit. Further development of the substantial cellars and attics on this side would provide further volume. Within the lovely walled garden screened by mature trees one can enjoy a level of peace and privacy rarely encountered outside a country home.
The partially developed side (360 metres and more with mezzanines) gives onto one of the main commercial streets of this charming town. It offers a glass-fronted retail outlet at street level, currently occupied with the lease expiring in February 2010. Accommodation over two floors would convert into three or four apartments (two with bedroom en mezzanine) or into a significant number of hotel bedrooms.
Throughout the property the generously proportioned rooms with ceiling heights up to 3m have numerous interesting original features, as might be expected of what was once the house of the tax collector of the “Sun King”. There are 9 original fireplaces and beautifully restored colombage throughout.
There are numerous possibilities for the building’s development. The whole would make a lovely small hotel with bar and restaurant on one side and garden with swimming pool on the other. Equally it would make a holiday apartment complex with owner’s accommodation. Or it could be a commercial venture such as a restaurant, retail outlet, or professional consulting rooms with a large family home adjacent. There is ample free and unlimited parking.
Mirande is situated in the heart of a rural department but both Toulouse and Pau airports are only an hour and a half away. With the completion of the motorway at the end of 2009 the journey to Toulouse will be significantly reduced. As well as the twice weekly markets, bars and restaurants and shops are within walking distance. There are many sporting and leisure facilities as well as schools for all ages, including a very well respected lycee, and full medical facilities. The ski stations of the Pyrenees are little more than an hour away and the sea at Biarritz less than two.
This is an ideal opportunity to combine a beautiful home with an excellent commercial opportunity. Many people who buy in France make the mistake of leaving themselves overly secluded, unable to enjoy French life to the full, and too dependent on the car. This becomes even more a problem as one inevitably ages. At the Maison du Procureur du Roi with its peaceful location and large secluded walled garden you can enjoy the best of all worlds.
