Tours, Centre-Val de Loire 37000

A 19th century townhouse with a 600 m² garden on the edge of Tours, near to the Pont Napoleon and Pont Wilson bridges. The buildings and walls enclosing the garden that make up the property open onto the pavement of a quiet street. The property is made up of three buildings aligned on a north to south axis. The most northerly building is a former outbuilding with two storeys that overlooks a courtyard. The second one opens onto the garden. Following the addition of a storey in 1995, with four levels, one of which is a cellar, it is the tallest building in the property. A passageway links the house to the neighbouring building at the intersection of the two edifices. Formerly part of the latter, the passegeway often surprises visitors. The house overlooks a third, lower-rise construction to the south: the conservatory. The roofs are made of slate and punctuated, in the second building, by dormers and a bullseye window. Most of the elevations are made of tuffeau stone covered, in some places, by discrete light pink rendering. They are punctuated by stringcourses between the storeys, cornices, door and window surrounds, and entablatures on certain openings, as well as ironwork on the doors and windows. It is easy to make your way around the buildings once inside, because they are interconnected at every level. The garden and then the neighbouring park stretch out on the other side of the house. You can reach the lush, green, walled garden through a wrought iron gate from the street. Lastly, a path lined with Tasmanian tree ferns and bamboos leads to a garden shed and the garage on one side and to the house with its small courtyard on the other.