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NEWSLETTER No. 12 - NOVEMBER 15th 2005 This newsletter brings to you details of a newly restored house a thirty-five minute drive from the city of Montpellier. While it is difficult to pinpoint its age with precision, the house is most likely an early 19th century construction and has stood unoccupied and indeed severely delapidated for many years - one of the occupants of the village, now in his eighties says it has never been occupied in his lifetime. A very thorough and competent renovation has just reached an end and the result is a house with renewed dignity, looking smart and somewhat classy with its iron railings and wide format doors. To better situate the house, a clockwise tour of the highlights of the region is given as the theme below. Should you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please use the link provided at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, kindly read on. Top Property Of The Fortnight: House Summary: A very tidy, well restored and functional two bedroom house Location: Small village location (commune of Le Bosc) in low hills at 5km from Lodève and 45km from Montpellier. Excellent setting for cycling, hiking, fishing, yachting, windsurfing, sunbathing! Its Assets: Clean no nonsense layout. Practical, secure and with very little maintenance required Views: Beyond village roofs, pretty hillside panorama Destiny: Buyers looking for a second home in stone with garage and set in pretty countryside with proximity to all amenities within five minutes by car The asking price is 166,000 Euros. Full Description: Thoroughly and competently restored early 19th century village house set at 5 minutes from the Lac du Salagou and 35 minutes from Montpellier in the commune of Le Bosc. The restoration is brand new - the house stood roofless for many years - and the result is a charming stone built house with a bright and very functional interior. The footprint of the house is approximately 40m² - the garage occupies the lower floor, and the dwelling the two upper floors, giving an interior surface area of approximately 75m². The garage has ample space for two small cars. In front of the garage is a small courtyard which, pending the installation of plants would make an excellent space for outside dining. Up a flight of steps from the courtyard is a balcony and the entrance to the house. This wide 4 paned door gives onto the open plan living room and kitchen, beside which there is a utility area with appropriate plumbing for washing machine / dishwasher and a storage cupboard beneath the stairs. Up a wide staircase are two bedrooms - each 12 to 14m² and one with balcony - and a modern shower room with lavatory, a body jet shower and stylish wooden unit sink. All windows are double glazed, and given their depth have simple yet elegant cast iron railings. In addition, each is fitted with electric shutters that are out of sight when fully withdrawn. Walls and roof have deep thermal insulation and heating is electric throughout - a wood burning stove would not be costly to install. Kitchen equipment - two fridges, one for drinks, oven, gas stove, hob - is as yet unused. Views from the house are either into the village or toward the pretty local countryside. All shops can be found within 3 miles in Lodève or 9 miles in Clermont l'Hérault. This is an excellent region for walking and cycling and the picturesque Lac du Salagou, a 3 mile drive offers possibilities for watersports.         Further photographs are available on request. The details can also be viewed on the web site at the following address: http://www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/viewpropNP.php?id=292 Theme Of The Fortnight: The top property in its setting Geographical summary: To the north is the Larzac plateau, to the south the vine rich plain, to the west the hills of the Hauts Cantons, and to the east, a variety of plain and garrigue. The region is picturesque and dotted with fascinating remnants of the past. Some of the highlights (but by no means an exhaustive list) are detailed below in clockwise order from Le Bosc:  St. Michel de Grandmont is a 12th century priory with cloister, a 7 mile drive north of Le Bosc. Cirque de Navacelles, 25 miles to the north-east is a fantastic canyon between Larzac and Blandas plateaux created by a meander of the Vis river. Mont St. Baudille, an 8 mile drive and in view from the village is the highest point locally at 847m and distinct with its telecommunications antenna. It gives a fantastic panorama in all directions: across the Larzac plateau to the Cevennes, the Mediterranean, the Pic St. Loup to the north of Montpellier, and depending on weather conditions, the Mont Ventoux beyond the Rhône valley. St. Guilhem le Désert, a 12 mile drive, classed as one of France's most beautiful villages and a place of pilgrimage along one of the St. Jacques de Compostelle routes. The abbey is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. St. Guiraud, an 8 mile drive is a pretty village with a restaurant recommendation 'Le Mimosa'. Montpellier, a 30 mile drive, dynamic city with medieval centre, opera house overlooking a vast central square, canopied cathedral and millenium old medical faculty. Direct flights to London.    Gignac, a 12 mile drive, a pretty market town with ramparts, a 12th century observation tower and impressively proportioned 17th century church with Baroque facade. Sète, a 40 mile drive, a bustling port town with a distinctly Mediterranean cultural feel, set against the Mont St. Clair. Stretches of sandy beaches. The Mediterranean, roughly a 40 mile drive along dual carriageways. Long stretches of sandy beaches. The Thau Lagoon and towns alongside - Mèze and Bouzigues, a 30 mile drive. The lagoon is picturesque with the Mont St. Clair as backdrop. Oyster cultivation (and consumption!). Clermont l'Hérault, 11 miles to the south, is a lively market town with a hilltop castle, various bourgeois town houses and a fortified church. All amenities and a variety of restaurants. Villeneuvette, 13 miles to the south was an extensive manufacturing unit (Villeneuvette) with dwellings for workers set up by Royal appointment in the 17th century. Pézenas, 20 miles to the south, beautiful town abundant with 15th, 16th, 17th century hôtels particuliers (mansions) with decorative doorways and balconies.    Cirque de Mourèze, beside the pretty village of Mourèze, 15 miles to the south is a natural amphitheatre of dolomitic rocks. Béziers, 35 miles to the south-west, busy city by which run the Canal du Midi and the Roman highway, the "Voie Domitienne". Lac du Salagou, 3 miles to the south, in a setting of red claylike rock, is a man made reservoir with barrage. Ample space and facilities for water sports. Salasc and Octon, respectively 10 and 7.5 miles to the south west, are pretty villages among vineyards and beside the lac du Salagou. Lodève, 3 miles to the north-west, is an active market town with a nationally renowned art and history museum. Millau is 42 miles to the north west, where the world famous viaduct designed by architect Norman Foster was inaugurated last year. La Couvertoirade is a fantastic walled city (also classed as one of France's most beautiful villages) is a 20 mile drive northward up onto the Larzac plateau.    Next newsletter will: - take a look at the technicalities and benefits of building a house in wood - showcase a new property on the market  +33 626 581 415 Enquiries can be made through the following page: http://www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/contact.php About James Properties France: Based in Montpellier in the south of France, bringing to you a carefully picked selection of properties within a 70 mile radius - with the occasional more distant exception - that are chosen for their combinations of attributes, most notably: - Setting of outstanding natural beauty - Distinct character or unusual features - Quality of renovation or authenticity - Value for money James Properties France serves primarily an English speaking, though often highly Francophile clientele looking to move or own a second home in the south of France around such places as Uzes, Nimes, Montpellier, Anduze, St. Hippolyte du Fort, the Southern Cevennes, Gignac and Clermont l'Herault and the Hauts Cantons. Besides being a rich source of housing options, James Properties France represents a useful accompaniment during the process of viewing and purchasing a house. If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, please click on the following link: www.jamespropertiesfrance.com/unsubscribe.php |