We bought the house in October 2003. It has taken 18 Months of continuous work to get it to how it is now. It has been re-roofed, re-plumbed and re-wired. We have taken down walls and opened up the first floor to make best use of the wonderful light. Maison Vanille was originally built in 1895 and was the house of a rich merchant. It has hand painted tiled floors in the bed rooms, two of which we have restored to their former glory. The interior staircase is marble. The ornate ironwork and other distinctive fittings show that much money was spent when it was built. Originally animals would have been kept along with the agricultural equipment in the garage. The feed trough is still in place. The grain and hay would have been kept up in the loft and dropped down the chute (which is still there) at feeding time. Maison Vanille has been lovingly brought up to date to face a new Century.

A brief history

Above: The upstairs bedrooms and bathroom.

Right: The rear courtyard garden

The living room.

Above; The kitchen. Above left; Hallway to rear terrace.

Above; The two first floor bathrooms.