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Fleurdilly
Lost in time
We have always been Francophiles and we are today the lucky owners of this hidden gem. I am Fleur and my husband is Dick, we have enjoyed family holidays all over France but we always return to the delights of Pézenas and the region around it. The Languedoc has fantastic light, wonderful landscapes stretching from the sea to the vineyards. And to Dick's continual delight it is in his 'golden triangle' of rugby, golf and sea. So long before Brexit became a rotten reality, we decided here was where we'd like to spend our next chapter. Pézenas is such a wonderfully eclectic mix of the historic, artisans, sports and culture that it makes it such a draw to visitors all year round. Funnily due to availability we never actually stayed in a villa with a pool within walking distance of Café des Arts ( the unofficial heart of the town). So, we decided to create our very own holiday home. Persistence with local estate agents eventually paid off when we were offered the Holy Grail - an 'if-they-like-you-they-may-sell-it-to-you' opportunity of a large old central Pezenas property with 1000m2 gardens, owned by the same family for over 150 years. This old shuttered beauty was lost in time, perfectly located only five minutes walk from the historic centre and ripe for renovation.
It has always been a dream to design our own home but life always seems to happen when planning other things. So when we saw the original drawings and floor plans for the house it was light bulb moment. The house, unused garage and attic were ideal for conversion and renovation.
Talking with the owner and her sister it seems that our intention to restore the house to a grand salon was exactly how the house was arranged when they were small children. Creating a second home from the unused space seemed obvious as did the pool in the garden - yet the games room\atelier was less easy to configure and design because of a thirty year old Albizia tree and boundary planning laws.
The plans
Bon courage
...... said the the estate agents as we collected the keys for the last time after sale completion in July 2020. The renovations have taken a while during the uncertainty of COVID lock downs and remote communications. In the early days there was some hard camping on site when visits were allowed so our son Ed became a pro cooking on a single primus stove. It's been a labour of love, but it's been worth it. And now it's ready to share.
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