22, Rue Droite 34600 Villemagne L'Argentière FRANCE

Guide Price: 58,000 Euro

Accommodation

Ground floor

Access from rue Droite by double-wide glazed front door to living room with dining area (5m x 3.2m) and spiral staircase; electric heater arch to kitchen (2.30m x 3m) with gas cooker, refrigerator, double sink and fitted cupboards; shower room(2.2m x 1.8m) with shower, hand basin and wc; electric heater glazed rear door to part-roofed balcony (8 sqm) with dining table and stone staircase to garden (45 sqm).

Garden

Small, stone-walled and gravelled and patio; access to cellar (29 sqm) with water heater.

First floor

Access by substantial, wooden spiral staircase from living room.

Double bedroom (11 sqm) at back with double bed, built-in wardrobe and view over the garden and ramparts to the river Mare and undeveloped, wooded hillside (same as from the balcony).

Single bedroom(6 sqm) at back with same view as the double bedroom

Double bedroom(10 sqm) at front with double bed, built in wardrobe; window seat and view over the village, gardens and houses.

Ample car parking space is available about 30m from the house.

Rue Droite is the single-car-width ancient access road to the centre of the mediaeval village. No 22 is the next-to-last house on the northern edge of the village. The house is stone built with 50cm thick walls. All windows and doors have substantial wooden shutters. The house was re-roofed in 2007. It was re-wired in 2011 when the electric heaters were installed. The garden was re-gravelled and the 200 litre water heater replaced in 2014.

The village

Villemagne l’Argentière a small medieval village situated in the Haut Languedoc National Park was, from the 7th to the 18th century, the site of a Benedictine Abbey; Silver lead mines in the area gave the village its name. Stroll around its narrow streets to discover the 13th century building known as the Hotel des Monnaies, the 14th c. St Majan church, the archaeological exhibition housed in the church of St Grégoire, the abbey, the monastery’s “Mirande” tower, the ramparts and the fortified “Barbecane” gate. The beautiful pack-horse bridge – the Pont du Diable - crosses the river Mare in the valley of which the village lies. There are two restaurants and a café bar in the village. A small épicerie sells local cheeses, charcuterie, fruit, vegetables and a basic selection of wine and general groceries. 4km away, but still in the commune, there is an Intermarché Hypermarket. . Every Sunday in Spring and Summer there is a small country market and book fair in the village square. The 75km long Voie Verte, constructed along the old railway line, starts in Villemagne and reaches the town of Mazamet.

The countryside

The village lies in the midst of vineyards, cherry, apple and olive orchards and is surrounded by hillsides covered with holm oak and edible chestnut trees. There are plentiful country walks in the hills and along the river where there are several swimming opportunities.

The locality

Hérépian, (3 km south) has a good selection of small shops, some restaurants and a wine Co-operative. A large Intermarché Hypermarket, DIY store and Netto supermarket is only another km away. Lamalou les Bains (5 kms south west) is a small spa town with a number of hotels and restaurants, golf course, swimming pool, cinema and, during August, an operetta festival. Tuesday is Market day Bédarieux (6 kms east) lies on the river Orb and has a number of shops and a small art gallery/museum. An extensive market takes place on Mondays. The closest A.O.C. wine producing areas are those of Faugères (10 minutes) and St Chinian (40 minutes). Pèzenas with a fascinating old centre of buildings dating from the 14th century is famous for its connection with Molière and can be reached in 30 minutes. Saturday is market day. Béziers (35 kms south) a large, old town known as the Seville of France lies on the river Orb close to where it meets the Mediterranean. The Canal du Midi, Valras Plage and Serignan Plage are a few minutes away. The seaside resort of Cap d’Agde and the port of Sète are also within easy reach.

Further afield

The cathedral city of Narbonne (45 minutes), the university city of Montpellier (75 minutes), the fortified cité of Carcassone and Perpignan (90 minutes) and the Spanish border (90 minutes).

Getting there