House in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)

7 rooms - 4 Beds - 1 Bath | Floor 189m²

€990,000 (HAI) - £820,017**

Ref. : A47575CEL64 | NEW

Photos (10) Brochure

Photos (10) Map Brochure

"Conceived as a work of art", this historic townhouse in the centre of Bayonne is truly a delight!

Dating back to 1730, the house is a glorious fusion of ancient and modern... an ancient oak staircase ascends a stairwell decorated with hand-painted murals in Indian ink... wooden ceiling beams alternate with coiled rope panels... and the property's beautiful wooden floorboards hark back to the days of galleons and pirates!

Ready to move into, this superb townhouse is perfect for a family home or a holiday home - with beaches just a 10-minute drive away and the Pyrénées less than 30 minutes away. In addition, shops, restaurants, bars, theatres and schools are all within easy walking distance!

Should you be looking for upmarket commercial premises, all or part of the property would be perfect for chic offices, a trendy business HQ or even artists' studios - and the ground floor has previously been used as an art gallery...

Whatever your project, this unique property will charm you!

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Built in 1730, this superb six-storey building of about 195m² has had several reincarnations. Originally constructed as a "Deux Clefs" apartment building, each floor comprised one apartment with two rooms - one at the front of the building, the other at the back. Both rooms would need a key, because to access either room, you had to cross a communal landing next to the building's central staircase.

Sometime later, the building was used by farmers and merchants as a grain and seed store for transporting their grain and seeds via the nearby River Nive. The property was then abandoned and fell into ruin, until Christian Astuguevieille, a famous French designer, bought the building in 2007.

Christian Astuguevieille registered the property as commercial premises and used the rooms as workshops/studios and a gallery. Luxurious home comforts were added, such as a kitchen, a utility room, a vast shower room and a dressing room with exquisite made-to-measure furniture (which is included in the sale).

The current owners re-registered the whole building for residential use when they bought it in 2021, but the new owner should have no difficulty in re-registering all or part of it for business purposes.

This stunning townhouse is completely adapted to modern living, although the traditional 18th-century architectural features remain and have been lovingly restored... a colombage façade, exposed wooden beams, fabulous wooden floorboards made from the decks of pirate ships and the massive oak staircase that ascends all the way up to the top floor.

Complementing the original features are many contemporary artistic flourishes... decorative coiled rope panels between the exposed wooden beams, chestnut planks cladding the walls of the first-floor rooms, wall-to-wall coconut fibre floor matting in the sitting room and totally unique abstract murals decorating the internal shutters and stairwell - all hand-painted in Indian ink by Christian Astuguevieille!

As you approach the townhouse along Bayonne's narrow cobbled streets, you will notice that the property effectively has a "shopfront", which may be useful if you have a commercial or business project for the ground floor. The ground floor is a completely open space, with just the oak staircase halfway along the room - and a storage room at the far end. The storage room has enough space to create a cloakroom/WC.

As you climb the staircase, you will see that it goes all the way up to the fifth floor, with wooden window frames opening into the stairwell on each floor. Light streams down the stairwell from a glazed roof, which can be opened electrically when required.

On the first floor, the sitting room is at the front of the building and has splendid views overlooking the town's famous covered market, Les Halles (currently undergoing restoration, with the re-opening planned for early summer, 2027).

The walls of this room are clad with chestnut planks, to resemble a barn. On the opposite side of the landing is a utility room (also clad in chestnut planks) and a separate WC.

The second floor comprises a dining room at the front of the building and a kitchen at back.

The third floor has a bedroom at the front and a room at the back, which is currently used as a dressing room. Christian Astuguevieille furnished the room with made-to-measure furniture - which is included in the sale - but the room is large enough to use as a bedroom, rather than a dressing room, if preferred.

The fourth floor also has a bedroom at the front and very luxurious shower room at the back. The bedroom on this floor is furnished with a unique floor-to-ceiling mirror framed with coiled rope, which was designed by the Christian Astuguevieille.

The fifth floor is open plan, comprising a bedroom area (with a partially sloping ceiling) at the front of the building and an adjoining area of 8.5m² at the back, which could be used as an office, a study, a playroom, a guest bedroom or nursery, or it is large enough to transform into a bathroom or shower room...

NB: the sale price includes all of the furniture and equipment that is currently in the property.

This superb townhouse is located in the historic centre of Bayonne. Numerous shops, bars and restaurants line the town's pretty cobbled streets - as well as schools for all ages, which are easily accessible on foot, bicycle or bus. The closest beaches on the Côte Basque are a 10-minute drive away, where you can sunbathe, swim, surf...

If you enjoy cooking, Bayonne's covered market is just opposite the house and is open every morning, seven days a week. There is also a lively farmers' market every Saturday morning - and an antiques market every Friday morning.

Bayonne also has many cultural events throughout the year, such as the famous Fêtes de Bayonne every summer. There are also two theatres just a short stroll away - the "Théâtre Michel Portal" is a 3-minute walk away and "La Luna Negra" is a 2-minute walk away.

THE TOWNHOUSE

Ground floor:
- a large reception room with a shopfront, previously used as an art gallery (33.5m²)
- a storage room with room to create a cloakroom/WC (3.5m²)
- an ancient six-storey oak staircase

First floor:
- a sitting room (18m²)
- a utility room (8m²)
- a WC (2.5m²)

Second floor:
- a dining room (18.5m²)
- a kitchen (21m²)

Third floor:
- a bedroom (17.5m²)
- a bedroom/dressing room (12m²)

Fourth floor:
- a bedroom (18m²)
- a shower room (11m²)

Fifth floor:
- a loft-style bedroom with partially sloping ceiling (usable floor area: 12.5m²; total floor area: 16.5m²)
- an adjoining area (8.5m²), which could be used as an office, study, playroom, guest bedroom - or to create a second shower room...
- a boiler room
- an electrically-opening glazed roof


THE POTENTIAL!

If you are searching for an exquisite family home or a luxurious holiday home, look no further! Beaches are a 10-minute drive away, where you can swim, surf and sunbathe. The Pyrénées and Spain are about 30 minutes away; ski resorts are about 90 minutes away.

Should you be looking for an investment property to rent out on a long-term basis, this townhouse could be perfect. Ready to move into, the property could be rented out straight away, either furnished or unfurnished(*).

If you work from home, several of the rooms would be suitable for using as an office. In addition, the ground-floor space could be transformed into an office or consulting room(*).

The ground-floor space is also an ideal size for a shop, art gallery, artist's studio... and the storage room at the far end of the room could easily be enlarged to accommodate a cloakroom and WC.

The whole house would be perfect to use as a chic business HQ, upmarket offices, an architect or design agency requiring studios, individual craft workshops, antiques...

(*) AUTHORISATIONS
Please note that any change of use or creation of additional living space for residential and/or professional purposes would require authorisation from the planning authority. Currently registered for residential use, the property has previously been classed as commercial premises, therefore a change of use for all or part of the townhouse for business use should potentially be straightforward to obtain.


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Intercom
Cable internet connection available
Glazed windows: single-glazed with 1cm-thick glass
Electrically openable glazed roof
Heating: gas central heating + underfloor heating on the ground floor only
Mains gas
Mains water
Mains drainage


THE LOCAL AREA

This gorgeous townhouse is located in the historic town of Bayonne in the French Basque Country. Bayonne is a delight all year round, with fashionable boutiques and lively bars and restaurants lining the pretty cobbled lanes...

If you love a day out at the beach, head south to the excellent coastal resorts of Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye. A little further on, you can cross the border and make your way to the Spanish towns of San-Sebastián and Bilbao.

If you prefer the mountains, take a train up to the top of the Rhune, where the views of the Pyrénées are spectacular - or travel inland to the charming Basque villages of Sare, Ainhoa, Espelette, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port...

Airports: Biarritz, Fuenterabia (Spain)
Train: Bayonne, Biarritz
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander
Long-distance coach: Bayonne, Biarritz

Ski: Iraty, Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Val-d’Azun, Gourette, Somport...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Anglet, Hossegor...

Attractions: Fêtes de Bayonne, Foire au Jambon de Bayonne, Musée Basque, Musée de la Mer, Cité de l’Océan, Golf de Biarritz le Phare, Golf d'Ilbarritz, Le Train de la Rhune, Grottes de Sare, Grottes d'Isturitz et d'Oxocelhaya, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr

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