Private and secure park
Swimming Pool
Ornamental ponds, Japanese and Zen gardens
Sleeps 8 - 10
Maid and Gardener at the house
Near Carcassonne, Toulouse, Canal du Midi
Easy access to Autoroute
Access to Ashi No Yakata, is easy as it is 5 minutes from the Autoroute between Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Narbonne. From the road, the house and grounds are disguised by trees, and a non descript backing wall. There are private electric gates, with close circuit TV remote in the house. Entry is along a private drive, past an ancient barn, where the gardener stores his equipment, through a glade of tall trees, to a circular crescent drive that comes up to the front door of the chateau, going past an old well. To one side of the house a private road goes to the back where there is shaded parking, and a back entrance.
Larger photo: Entrance with old well
Entry is into a large hall, with splendid wooden 17th Century staircase to the 1st floor. To the left is a large living room, which at one time was part of an 11th century church, with fireplace, stain glass windows, and arched ceiling. The room is comfortably furnished with sofas, art, tables, and bookcases cover some of the walls. There is a TV with satellite reception. To the back a door leads to a wine cellar storage area that leads to the one of the servants stairs as well as the laundry, with washing machine and dryer. (Personal laundry can be laundered by the maid at an additional fee).
Larger photo of kitchen
To the right of the entrance hall is the dining room with seating for 8 - 10, with a door leading at the back into the main kitchen, with plenty of workspace, fitted cupboards, sink, gas cooker and oven, dishwasher and refrigerator. To one side there is access into the office with telephone, and on the other side of the kitchen there is another servant's staircase to the 2nd floor. There is another kitchen (Summer), equipped with dishwasher, refrigerator, electric cooker and oven, between the dining room and the outside shaded terrace (under bamboo covered shelter)- where there is a table to sit 8 -10.
Larger photo - Master bedroom
The main wide wooden 17th Century staircase leads up to the 1st floor, immediately coming to a landing, with doors leading off left to the master double bedroom with ample his and hers closets, views over the park, and en-suite bathroom with bathtub with shower attachment, and washbasin, and separate WC. To the right of the stairs is the Library, with original 17th century decorated beams and a TV with satellite reception. The 1st floor landing leads round to a corridor that runs the length of the house. To the right there is a double bedroom with yellow wallpaper and decorations, with a neighboring separate WC, and bathroom with shower, with washbasin. Immediately off the passageway, to the back of the main stairway, there is a separate WC. The corridor on the opposite side of the house, leads past another office, with 17th century decorative features, with a sofa that can double as a bed; to another large double bedroom with red velvet covering. At the end of the corridor is a large bathroom, with bathtub, shower attachment, washbasin, and separate WC.
2nd floor bedroom
Next to the corridor by the yellow bedroom, "servants stairs" go up to the 2nd floor with 1 double bedrooms (the "chinese") and "the blue" bedroom that has a single bed; a corridor leads to a separate WC, and a bathroom with shower, and washbasin. There is a small office with an additional single bed. The second floor also has an independent access, in addition to access to the main house.
THE GARDENS, THE PARK AND SWIMMING POOL
Leaving the house by the Summer Kitchen, which is to the side of the house, there is covered terrace area for outside dining, with a large barbecue to one side. This terrace looks immediately onto a Zen garden made up of small white stones, and ornamental rocks and Japanese stone lanterns, which is partly shade by trees. There are also some elements of japanese gardens, that via a path, one crosses an ornamental stream, lush grass, to the pool house with sun loungers, tables, and the large swimming pool (12m x 5m). The park area is large, with old mature trees, giving a play of shade and light. Near the swimming pool, is an old bassin once used for laundry and now filled with fish and lilies, and behind this a much larger deeper basin, with decorative fish, that is surrounded by a magnificent bamboo forest. The park is broad, and airy. In one direction an old track is bordered by 2 rows of trees creating an idyllic glade, to another secluded views are being created through the arbors of trees across fields to hillside villages with their church spires kissing the sky.
ABOUT THE SURROUNDING AREA
Ashi No Yakata - the Zen Chateau is well located to visit the neighboring towns of Carcassonne, with its Medieval Cite, Mirepoix with old shopping center and jazz festival, Bram and Castelnaudary, two pretty villages on the Canal dub Midi. Further to the south, is the bubbling town of Limoux known for its champagne like wine; as well as Rennes Les Chateaux - at the center of a Holy Grail controversy - as mentioned in the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail". To the north are the black mountains, with pretty hilltop towns and farmhouses, surrounded by the lovely countryside of the Lauragais, with historical centers such as Revel, and even further north - but well within a day's trip - glorious Albi with its Cathedral and Toulouse Lautrec Museum.
The nearby towns of Montreal, Bram and Castelnaudary have supermarkets, shops, markets, restaurants, cafés for all your major needs. However with Carcassonne only 25 minutes drive - its easy to do all your major shopping there.
Being only 5 minutes from the autoroute, the chateau is ideally situated for going to the Mediterranean beaches (1 hour to Narbonne Plage or Gruissan), or even Barcelona is less than 3 hours. Airports are found at Carcassonne (25 mins), Toulouse (55 mins), Montpellier (90 mins), Perpignan (70 mins), and Barcelona. There is a railway station at nearby Bram with frequent trains to Narbonne and Toulouse where there are TGV connections (only 4 and half hours from Narbonne to Paris).
Entrance hallway
Larger photo - Living room (once a church)
Larger photo - Dining room
Larger photo - Library
Yellow bedroom
Terrace with Zen garden
Larger photo - Swimming Pool
Private drive through park to house
Come! Take
a walk around the park and Zen garden
| Ashi
no Yakata – The
Zen Chateau Ashi no Yakata - the Zen Chateau, dates back to Roman times. In the park it is still possible to walk down steps to see and use the Roman well – that has provided water for 2000 years for the owners and the local villagers. It is probable there was a villa on the site, however there are no remains. By the 11th Century a church was built (its walls and arches providing the surrounds for the living room, and cellars) that probably was used by the owners and peasants of a small castle (no longer standing, except for a few stones, steps) where the swimming pool is now located. There is evidence that a moat encircled the park. In the 17th century living quarters were added to the chapel (probably already partly destroyed). The formal wooden staircase (now seen in the entrance hall) became the hub of the life of the noble family that owned the house, while two servants’ staircases, on each side of the house enabled the staff to service the main rooms discreetly. The chapel remained on the ground floor and was added to with various utility rooms and a large kitchen providing evidence the house was regularly lived in all year round. Underneath the kitchen there is a gothic period water reservoir which shows that the house must have been quite comfortable, (having a private source for water was a sign of wealth in this dry part of France) On the first floor (where the nobility lived), four very large rooms composed the owners living area. The ceilings were very high, as was the fashion of the time for rich houses, and were well decorated. Some of this decor remains in the present rooms, which have been divided for practical purposes, probably in the 18th or 19th centuries. A fireplace remains with 17th century decoration, whilst the others have been unfortunately redecorated in the 19th century style. The second floor was dedicated to storage, mainly of grains, corn in particular, as well as being used for sleeping quarters for servants, although there were no windows. A small pigeon loft completed the setting. A stone bearing the inscription “1674” was probably erected, with a cross, in front of the mansion to celebrate the end of the renovation. The cross has now disappeared but the stone stands at the entrance of the property. In the 19th century two small wings were added to the building to introduce modernity into the place, i.e. for bathrooms, laundry, pantry, etc…. There is reputed to be a secret underground passage between the chateau and the nearby monastery, founded in the 12th century by Saint Dominic. The house itself was owned by the church up until the 1960s. The property has been lovingly renovated by the present owners in the spirit of conservation and comfort. An effort has been made to find fabrics and decor that enhance the historical past of the house. All the bathrooms are new. The antique styles of the Mansion with its pale hues of pink, white and blue, have been preserved to complement the backdrop of the park; while the swimming pool, which cannot be seen from the house has a Mediterranean tonality of yellows and reds. The background of the owners (French, Japanese), the presence of water in the park and underground, and the large bamboo wood has been carefully and creatively combined bringing together Japanese and Zen influences to the Park and the Chateau, carefully following Feng Shui principles. |
| Ashi No Yakata - A Zen Chateau
in the Languedoc -Sleeps 8 - 10 - Swimming Pool - Private Park
- Zen Gardens Available all year. Rental costs are based on the € euro value; £ and $ values are approximate. For off season (October to March) - the house is available for 8000 euros a month (includes heating, maid approx 3 hrs a day -M-F, and gardener approx 2 hrs a day). During the rest of the season the maid is in the house for approx 3 hours a day from Monday - Friday, - she has a set program of tasks to execute - any additional work such as cleaning dishes, personal laundry, food shopping, is extra and has to be arranged before arrival; the Gardener comes in approximately 2 hours a day for the garden, and maintenance of the pool. |
THIS PROPERTY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL