"Petit" Domaine de Brancas 1680 au coeur de la Provence

We are an Australian/Swedish couple who have spent many of our younger years living in France. We also own a cafe in the heart of Haymarket London, so we know good coffee. We are fluent in French, English and Swedish.

We chose this area because it is so central to everything in Provence. Being on the edge of the village of Beaucaire means you don't need to get in the car every day if you don't want to. Walking is a pleasure around here.

At 340 years old, our property is steeped in history. We love the stone steps that lead you up to the bedrooms in the "petit house" worn over time - who has walked on those steps! We love that we have a view of the river and can walk up to the Castle in the evening or morning to enjoy the sunrise/set. Here is some interesting history! According to the oldest archives, it was built in 1680-83 on land belonging to Henry de Porcelets who married his daughter in 1683 to André Joseph de Brancas, then appointed Military Governor of Beaucaire. The house was probably built for this wedding. Previous buildings, in the Renaissance style, already existed. Others, of ancient origins but of undetermined dates, are to the north of the main residence. On some the dates of 1757 and 1776 are visible. The Brancas family is a family of very old Provençal nobility (Avignon, Perses- les Fontaines, Forcalquier, Paris) and the Beaucaire property still bears the name today. On the death of his wife in 1706, André Joseph de Brancas inherited the property which he passed on to his son André Louis de Brancas in 1709. He sold it in 1712 to two merchants from Beaucaire, Jean Goubier and Guilhem Chavrier. When Chavrier died, his widow became owner and sold it in 1733 to Pierre Domergue, bourgeois of Beaucaire From 1733 to 1975, the property remained in the Domergue family, sometimes being transmitted by women under various names. It served as a warehouse for goods passing through the Fair of Beaucaire. It also served as stables for several dozen horses used for the "ascent" of boats on the Rhône. Many vestiges of this activity are still visible. In 1975, it was acquired by Mr and Mrs Eymar who set up an antique business there. They resold it in 1993 to the current owner It is said that the house would have received the visit of illustrious guests, in particular Napoleon Bonaparte in 1793!