19th-C Château with Event Potential near Moulins

Elegant 19th C château near Moulins offering approximately 760 m2 of living space, six en-suite bedrooms and considerable scope for further accommodation. Set within 13.4 ha of woodland, parkland and meadows, the estate includes eight holiday flats, two apartments and planning permission for an event venue.

Situated in the heart of the Bourbonnais, within an unspoilt natural setting, this property occupies a private, contiguous estate of 13.4 hectares (33 acres), comprising landscaped grounds, woodland and meadows. Sheltered from neighbouring properties and overlooking its own extensive grounds, the château offers a peaceful environment for family life, entertaining or a hospitality venture.

Despite its rural setting, the estate benefits from convenient transport links. The A79 motorway is less than 10 minutes away, with the RN7 also readily accessible. Moulins-sur-Allier railway station provides regular services to Paris in just over two hours. By road, Paris is approximately 3 hours 45 minutes away, Clermont-Ferrand 1 hour 20 minutes, Lyon two hours and Geneva three hours. Lyon Airport can be reached in under two hours.

The Château
Built towards the end of the 19th century by a renowned architect from the Allier region, the château served for many years as a prestigious hunting lodge. Its architecture combines light-coloured rendered façades with red brickwork and dressed stone. The slate roof is punctuated by pedimented dormer windows and decorative ridge finials, while continuous balconies with intricate wrought-iron railings add to the building's distinctive character.

The château offers approximately 760 m2 of living space arranged over three floors, with generous reception rooms, high ceilings and considerable scope to adapt the accommodation to suit the requirements of its future owner.

Ground Floor
The entrance hall immediately reveals the quality of the original architecture, with a striking mosaic floor decorated with an interwoven fan motif. A large bay window opens onto a south-east-facing terrace, overlooking the grounds.

This floor benefits from spacious proportions, attractive wood panelling and numerous stained-glass windows, which bring colour and filtered light into the reception rooms. The accommodation comprises a study, an elegant sitting room, a second reception room with a handsome wooden fireplace and a spacious, light-filled dining room. A further study provides additional flexibility, while the kitchen, utility room and laundry room complete the ground-floor accommodation.

First Floor
The first floor is reached by both the principal staircase and a separate service staircase. It contains six bedrooms, each with its own en-suite shower room and WC, providing comfortable accommodation for family and guests or forming the basis of a high-quality hospitality business.

Second Floor
The top floor remains partly unfinished, allowing the future owner to determine its final layout and use. The existing accommodation includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate WC. There is also provision to create five additional bedrooms, together with three further bedrooms for which the plumbing required to install bathrooms is already in place.

This floor offers considerable scope to increase the available accommodation, subject to the necessary works and permissions. It could be adapted to provide additional bedroom suites, private family areas or further guest accommodation, depending on the intended use of the property.

Outbuildings and Guest Accommodation
The estate's outbuildings provide substantial additional accommodation and offer considerable potential for tourism, events or extended family use.

The first outbuilding has been fully renovated and converted into a holiday accommodation complex of approximately 147 m2. It contains six self-contained flats, each with its own bedroom, en-suite shower room and WC. Every flat has a separate entrance, providing privacy and independence for its occupants. One of the ground-floor units has been designed with accessibility in mind.

A second outbuilding, situated behind the château, is arranged around a central workshop, with an apartment on either side. The first apartment offers approximately 56 m2 and comprises two bedrooms, a kitchen opening onto the living area and a bathroom. The second, measuring approximately 41 m2, contains a sitting room, one bedroom and a shower room.

Together, these buildings provide a useful combination of independent accommodation and ancillary space, with potential for holiday rentals, visiting family or staff accommodation.

Event and Hospitality Potential
The property has been the subject of an ambitious project to develop an events and hospitality business. Planning permission has been granted by the local council for the creation of a function room suitable for weddings, receptions and other events.

Some finishing work remains before the project can be brought to completion. Architectural plans are available to assist the future owner in progressing the development, subject to the terms of the existing permission and any further approvals required.

Combined with the château's reception rooms, six en-suite bedrooms on the first floor and extensive independent accommodation in the outbuildings, this permission provides a strong basis for a potential events venue or hospitality business. Alternatively, the estate could be used as a substantial private residence with accommodation for family and guests.

Grounds and Estate
The château stands within a single, contiguous estate of 13.4 hectares (approximately 33 acres), offering a combination of landscaped grounds, woodland and open meadows.

The grounds include nearly 8 hectares of parkland, originally designed and planted by a renowned local landscape architect. A varied selection of mature trees, including English and American oaks, pines, acacias and lime trees, provides structure and seasonal interest throughout the estate.

A further meadow of approximately 6 hectares offers scope for a range of uses, including equestrian activities, recreation or the continued enjoyment of the property's rural setting. A reservoir also forms part of the grounds, adding to the landscape, although it is not spring-fed.

With its substantial château, independent guest accommodation, extensive grounds and existing planning permission for an event venue, this is a versatile estate with scope for use as a private family residence, a hospitality business or an events property, subject to the necessary permissions and completion of the remaining works.