Périgueux, Aquitaine 24000

A large, undisturbed five-bedroom flat on the first floor of a former post office building in the sought-after Belle poque district of Prigueux. The district linking the Cours Montaigne to the railway station was created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between the existing townhouses, there are apartment blocks and other new constructions providing residents with new services and cultural venues. From 1906 to 1930, the building was used as a post office because of its modern layout, comprising three vast levels of 200 m each, plus cellars and an Eiffel-style iron roof structure. Six metal posts rising from the central space of the ground floor underpin what was at the time an architectural feat. The rectangular stone building is topped by a hip roof with interlocking tiles. The northern, neo-classical facade facing the street features large, small-paned French windows opening onto small balconies protected by wrought-iron railings. The dressed stone window surrounds and cornice are embellished with decorative colonnades, diamond-carved motifs and geometric shapes. At either end of the building, there is a monumental entrance door. The first, topped by a carved fire pot, leads via a staircase to two floors and provides access to a secure parking courtyard at the rear. A staircase behind the second entrance door leads to the cellars.