A townhouse, dating from the 1900’s, in the town centre of Burgundy’s Autun

A townhouse, dating from the 1900s, in the town centre of Burgundys Autun.
In Burgundy, the town of Autun is renowned for its rich heritage and its landscaped surroundings in the Morvan Regional Nature Park. Its perimeter wall is a reminder of the Gallo-Roman origins of the town, Augustodunum, founded by the emperor Augustus. On the heights of the town, the cathedral and its canonical district bear witness to its medieval history. The 18th century saw the construction of the bishopric, the military school and numerous mansion houses. The lower town district developed in the 19th century as a result of the towns economic expansion. In addition to its history and its geographic location, Autun is made further attractive by its dynamic economy and its tourist trade as well as its good state and private schools.
Paris is 3 hours away by car and Lyon 2 hours away. Le-Creusot-Montchanin TGV train station, 30 minutes away by car or bus, provides links to the French capital in 1 hours and to Lyon in 45 minutes.
This town house stands near to the ramparts of the old, fortified town of Autun. Just a few metres away, the theatre and the town hall bear witness to Autuns economic expansion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This house; constructed in the 1900s, reflects the architectural trends of the period between the beginning of the Art Nouveau style and the post-Haussmannian era fashionable in Paris at this time. Its height and its wrought construction materials make it stand out from the surrounding Burgundy houses. Set on the corner of two streets, its rotunda facade, topped with a dome, constitutes the central feature of the building, flanked by its two wings. On the east side, the facade is extended by a ground floor, covered with a roof terrace, and followed by a long wall, with a wicket garden gate and a set of solid, vehicle gates.
The houseThis two-storey house is built entirely over cellars.
The curved lines of the main facade are typical of the Art Nouveau period: its porch with its rounded steps, the panelling on the entrance door and its lintel, flanked with a decorative coat-of-arms, as well as the curved and scrolled corbels supporting the balcony. The rusticated masonry of the ground floor facades, the Corinthian order columns upstairs and the theatrical balcony all reflect a certain classicism. The shorter columns on the second floor give a perspective of height rising up to the dome, covered with fish-scale slate tiles enhanced with a finial. The lateral facades are aligned on each level with basket-handle-arched openings, windows embellished with slatted shutters and decorative lambrequins, with a central balcony and Juliet balconies, flanked by pilasters, with ionic order capitals. They are rendered on the first floor. The hipped, slate roofs feature a central, dressed stone dormer, with an arched pediment, and monumental chimney stacks, enhanced with red brick.

Ground floor
The rotunda acts as the main entrance, opening into a large vestibule, its mosaic floor tiles providing floral decoration. Double, panelled doors, topped with a moulded lintel, a ceiling lined with cornices and wall pilasters delimiting the layout to several rooms. On the right-hand side of the entrance hall, a set of double doors leads to a flat, comprising a bedroom, a study and a shower room, with a toilet. A glazed door leads to the main stairway. Following on from the vestibule, a large and a small lounge feature the same refined decor, with wainscoting, oak wood parquet flooring, and a white marble fireplace in the large lounge. They communicate with a dining room, creating a vast reception area. French windows in the small lounge and the dining room open, all on a level, on to a terrace and the garden. In the centre of the dining room, a wrought, oak wood fireplace, with a lintel, is flanked by two stained-glass windows. This room opens into a vestibule which houses a turning, oak wood stairway, with intermediate landings. A fitted kitchen, with an adjoining pantry, opens into the stairway vestibule and on to a small outdoor terrace, followed by the garden.
First floor
A wide, central landing gives access, in a star shape, to several rooms. On the right-hand side of the stairway, the main bedroom, opening on to the rotunda balcony, features a bed flanked by moulded alcoves. It leads to a shower room, with a toilet, which can also be reached via the landing. Next to it is a second bedroom, followed by an adjoining study which opens on to the terrace. On the other side of the landing are a large bedroom, also opening on to the terrace, a bedroom overlooking the street, with a shower toom, a linen room and a separate toilet. The terrace, with dressed stone balusters, gives a panoramic view over Mount La-Croix-de-la-Libération and the Morvan mountain range. Floors are laid with parquet flooring covered, in places, with Bordeaux-red carpet.
Second floor
A straight stairway goes up to a second floor, where a corridor provides access to two attics, two bedrooms and a rotunda room under the dome, awaiting restoration.
Cellar
The house is entirely built over cellars, with basement windows. Reached via a door concealed in the panelling of the stairway, they comprise a wine cellar, a boiler room, a workbench, an area for storing bikes and a woodstore.The gardenA terrace borders the house facade. It leads, all on a level, to the south-west facing garden, followed by a perimeter wall on the road side. It is enhanced with a lawn and bordered by shrubs, including hydrangea, buddleia, lilac and rose bushes.
The perimeter wall houses a central pedestrian gate and a set of remote-controlled gates that give access to an open building, used as a garden shed and a garage.