Property Description

The house...

Authentic three century old house, semi-detached on one side. Ideal for a guest house project or a family home or group home project, with multiple development possibilities. It consists of 3 flats and a large attic.

One T6 + duplex completely renovated of 160 M² with private entrance on the garden: - on the ground floor, an entrance, vaulted kitchen, large living room of 40m ² vaulted, master suite with Italian shower, separate toilet, boiler room with condensing boiler and oil tank, 1 large shed in the garden - on the 1st floor: 1 vaulted bedroom on the road of 18m², 1 bedroom on the garden of 16m², 1 bedroom on the courtyard of 12m², 1 large bathroom with bathtub and double washbasin, 1 workshop, 1 vaulted room with independent entrance on the street (possibility of making an independent studio) Above, 2 flats and a barn with independent entrance.

One studio of 15m² with a mezzanine (Carrez law), bed and bathroom in mezzanine, large balcony.

One T2 of 30m² with living room, bedroom and bathroom

One attic to be converted consisting of 2 floors: 1 floor of 40m² and above a floor of 80m² under the roof, beautiful view of the mountains

The house has been partly renovated with respect of the old stone and noble materials. All the parts of the house are independent but can nevertheless communicate. Special features: the facades need to be renovated, there are two sundials and a single-handed clock to be restored. A charming house for lovers of old stone. Great potential

The Area….

Briançon is situated at the lower end of the Serre Chevalier ski valley. It is the highest town in France (and some argue the highest in Europe) and has a year-round population of around 14,000 inhabitants.

It is unique in many ways, not least the fact that it is listed on the UNESCO world heritage list, which makes it the only ski resort with this claim to fame. A walk through the historic Old Town takes you back centuries through old cobbled streets and tall narrow buildings which are perched on the precipitous ramparts overlooking the rest of town and Serre Chevalier beyond.

It has been fought over for centuries as it has been a key trading and transport link. It is for this reason that the highest points surrounding Briançon have magnificent forts and castles overlooking the town, all of which can be accessed by foot in summer and winter.

The nearest airports are Turin in Italy (113km 1h45m) and Grenoble Isere (107km 2h0m) and there is train access by TGV just over the border in Oulx, Italy (31km 37m). The Area….

Briançon is situated at the lower end of the Serre Chevalier ski valley. It is the highest town in France (and some argue the highest in Europe) and has a year-round population of around 14,000 inhabitants.

It is unique in many ways, not least the fact that it is listed on the UNESCO world heritage list, which makes it the only ski resort with this claim to fame. A walk through the historic Old Town takes you back centuries through old cobbled streets and tall narrow buildings which are perched on the precipitous ramparts overlooking the rest of town and Serre Chevalier beyond.

It has been fought over for centuries as it has been a key trading and transport link. It is for this reason that the highest points surrounding Briançon have magnificent forts and castles overlooking the town, all of which can be accessed by foot in summer and winter.

The nearest airports are Turin in Italy (113km 1h45m) and Grenoble Isere (107km 2h0m) and there is train access by TGV just over the border in Oulx, Italy (31km 37m).


The history of the House...

The clock face "A Nul Autre Pareil" of the old forge of Fortville - Briançon

In Forville, a hamlet of Briançon, lies a paradise for lovers of small heritage: on the left, the old forge, which bears a mechanical clock face with a single hand and two remains of sundials on two of its walls. In the centre and on the right, two oratories. The house of the old forge tells the story of a dynasty of bell founders since the end of the 17th century: the Gautiers.

In 1680, the Gautier family settled in Briançon when Louis Gautier took over the Forville hammermill, which belonged to Charles Eymard de Chailliol, Lord of Bouqueron, vibailly* of the Briançonnais. Louis' father, Jacques, was a copper smelter in Hurtières, in the Isère valley. The reading of the municipal archives of Briançon allows us to follow the passage of the Gautiers from the "pérollerie "** to the casting of bells and to see that they quickly reach the rank of notables. In 1717, Vincent Gautier, Louis' son, was consul of Briançon. It is also proven that in 1734 a Gautier (Vincent?) was a bell founder. In 1760, François Gautier was a master bell founder. In 1776, Gabriel Gautier was an alderman in Briançon.

* Vibailly : representative of the delphinal authority.

** Pérollerie : manufacture of kitchen utensils (pots, cauldrons, pans), where the pérolliers beat the copper to make sheets.

Although bell founders, the Gautiers continued to beat copper. The hydraulic force of the Guisane activated the large hammers of the hammer. The swift which interests us, is neither a bird, nor a whip, nor a twin-engine plane... It is a set of hammers activated by hydraulic force. It gave its name to a locality in the hamlet. Copper from the mines of the Briançonnais, Oisans and Queyras (Saint-Veran) was worked to make cauldrons. The steel came from Rives, in the Isère. The hammer was swept away by a flood of the Guisane in the 19th century. The house and forge were rebuilt in 1839 in the hamlet of Forville by François Gautier who gave a new impetus to the bell foundry. The Gautiers of Briançon sometimes joined forces with the Valliers of Plampinet to found some bells. They never opposed each other.

The forge no longer exists. Only the house remains. The bells cast by the Gautier founders can be found in Gap (Cathedral), Briançon (Collegiate Church) and in the Alps as far as the heart of the Valais (Switzerland).

On the wall of the house of the former forge, one finds, in addition to two sundials, this clock face with a single "big hand". Its motto: NEC PLURIBUS U. IRIE evokes NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR, the motto of Louis XIV, which is equal to the sun and can be translated as "A NUL AUTRE PAREIL". Its irregular numbering, its oval shape and its large hand may explain this motto... At the bottom of the dial, a second motto, almost erased, can be deciphered as follows PRIDIE LAL ZBSIS ARR MDCCIXXIII? This incomprehensible inscription is probably the work of some ignorant mason.

The cut and stamped sheet metal hand corresponds well to the activity of the Gautier family, boilermakers and blacksmiths. This clock is the work of a clockmaker! It was driven by a large wooden mechanical clock! This clock was removed around 1950 by the clockmaker Pierre Gachet (husband of a great-granddaughter of François Gautier) who lived here until the middle of the 20th century...

To the left of the clock face, this sundial is in a poor state of repair and needs to be restored. This is the wish of the owners of the house, who are planning to redo their façade in 2015. A date: MDCCIXXIII. Note the curious way in which the number 1793 is composed. The motto: "Pridie lal zbsis arr" for "Pridie quam pateretur" "The day before his Passion". Considering the date of 1793, the motto could evoke the words of the canon of the Mass. It could also be a royalist motto. This incomprehensible inscription is undoubtedly the work of some ignorant mason. (According to Michel Lalos)

But one sundial can hide another, and one style can be seen on the other side of the house.

Under the sundial is a cast iron plaque of the "Compagnie Française du Phénix, Fondée en 1819", a fire insurance company. It is undoubtedly to discourage arsonists (the damage being reimbursed, the nuisance became minimal), and to advertise, that the brokers had these plates nailed on the facades of houses and churches... But a forge had to have good fire insurance!

***

Sources: Les Vallier from Plampinet, bell founders and the other founders from Briançon Barbe and Gautier - Jean Vallier. Editions Fournel 2009 - pages 59 to 65

------
Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr

Serre Chevalier Ski Area

This “jewel in the crown” is one of the best kept secrets in the southern alps. Here the high tree line coupled with amazing off piste make it an all-round ski paradise. Unlike many other mountain resorts, The Serre Chevalier Valley is made up of many villages and hamlets as well as the town of Briancon, the highest town in France.

Monetier Les Bains, the highest of the villages ,has a typical alpine atmosphere as well as having the beautiful open air spa baths. Here you can relax after a hard days ski and enjoy the magnificent views of the hanging glacier and snow capped peaks.

Serre Chevalier isn't a purpose built resort and as such is an ideal place to consider having an alpine home with all of the facilities associated with normal living – transport, education and shops. At the same time this amazing resort is only a few kms away from hidden valleys, high mountain pastures and the vast Ecrin national park.

Transport to Serre Chevalier is much easier than before with regular flights to both Grenoble and Turin airports.

 

 

Chantemerle (St Chaffrey) Ski Resort

Diagnostic de Performance Energétique