I’m Andy Poertsmouth, the local agent for this beautifully-renovated medieval house in the historic walled centre of the small town of Availles Limouzine. This is a rare find.
On the ground floor, you have a large (49m2) garage, and a separate entrance hallway with stairs leading to the living area on the first and second floors.
On the first floor, there is a bright kitchen with table, living room, dining room (or fourth bedroom), and a shower room with WC, also there’s a small washing machine room, as you’ll see in the video.
On the second floor, there are three large bedrooms (19.3m2, 16.5m2 and 14.6m2), and a second shower room with WC.
The house is connected to mains drains, has electric heating (radiators), and fibre internet is available.
A one-minute walk away – just past where the video begins, the house has a garden with a view toward the river.
Availles-Limouzine was once known as Walia Wisigot after an Aquitaine king who reigned from 385 to 418.
‘La Vicaria Avalia’ is mentioned in 1020, then Availhe Limosine in 1420, Availhia Lemovica in 1478…
During the Middle Ages it was fortified and became a châtellenie – a feudal territory, of the nearby barony of Saint Germain de Confolens. Today, an amazing village-centre inn takes that name, La Châtellenie, and is listed by Michelin.
The area’s been occupied by the Gauls, the Romans, the Wisigoths, the Franks, and… by the English (the Plantagenets) who kept cavalry regiments within the 12th Century walls over winter, until the siege of 1350. Most of the medieval centre has survived, and it is one of these remarkable old-town houses that is now for sale, and we visit that in the video:
During the revolution, the town took the name Availles-la-Montagne in support of the more radical group in the parliament, who called themselves La Montagne.
The village belongs to the Vienne département, but for years the locals tried to join the Charente département (just 2 km away), due to the proximity of those commercial links, and also no doubt, due to cultural heritage – the local dialect in Availles is rooted in the southern Occitan language, langue d’oc, (in contrast to the neighbouring Vienne villages, rooted in langue d’oïl) – it’s right on the language line.
During the second war, the demarcation line ran only 7km away, with Availles in the free zone – the Resistance were active around here and hid in the farms.
In the local church of Saint-Martin (video 14:03), which dates from 1090, you can find the Archaic coat of arms, this was the name of the family by whom Availles was governed from the late 13th Century, and who rebuilt the church in the 15th Century.
The village (video 3:15) has a baker, butcher, florist, grocery store, restaurant, home decor shop/café, pharmacy, two doctors, two dentists, repairs garage (with fuel), hairdresser, bank, post office, and a lovely estate agent. Supermarkets are 15-minutes away.