Lagrenie

Lagrenie is an estate (domaine) of ten acres situated at the end of a forest path, surrounded by forest: the Grande Forêt de Domme, near Sarlat and overlooking the Dordogne river. Lagrenie consists of sloping land with beautiful walnut, beech and linden trees, a meadow, a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, a large swimming pool, a private residence and two holiday homes made of centuries old stones and beams: Les Cèpes and Les Girolles.
Lagrenie is strategically situated along the Dordogne river, where the river can be seen for miles and where an old and winding path used to lead down to the river bank. Lagrenie probably used to be a small castle or fortified building in the 11th or 12th century where tolls were levied to captains, or oxen were cared for after which they could continue pulling ships upstream. Parts from the walls from that time are still visible in the basements of the house.

After that Lagrenie became a settlement, consisting of a few houses and paths. The remnants of that time are still visible all over the land. There are ruins and walls on the terrain and in the forest, and a still functional bread oven with the inscription of the year 1618. On several places are visible entrances to underground passageways, now collapsed but reminding of a dynamic past. The water reservoir where spring water used to flow is still there too. Until the beginning of the 20th century Lagrenie mostly lived off winegrowing, that dominated the whole region but was ended by a mean disease affecting the grapes. Along with the wine there was a vegetable garden and about ten cows. The neighbour still remembers it all vividly.
After the winegrowing came the walnut, oak and chestnut trees that are now so characteristic of the region. The path to the river became overgrown and has disappeared now. Lagrenie became the end of the road. The settlement became a kind of combination between an estate and a farm, and slowly sunk into the rural calm of the beautiful nature that you find there now. Roes often graze there, there are woodpeckers and owls, wild boars and deer, and large buzzards often hover above the trees. The medieval town of Sarlat and the famous villages of Domme and La Roque-Gageac are 15 minutes away by car, and the castles of Castelnaud and Beynac are a further 10 minutes away. We have owned Lagrenie since December 2010 and have made it our goal to develop it with respect for its long history as a place of peace and inspiration slightly separate from society.

Gijs and Karin ten Kate