(CNN) — Finding himself at a loose end on a rainy day in France, triathlete Jeremy arranged to view some properties in the quaint neighborhood he’d been staying in.
Originally from Wales, the father-of-two had been living in Paris for several years, but after going through a separation, he became set on the idea of moving to the French countryside.
He realized he’d struck gold when he was given a tour of a home in Courgent, a town located in the Île-de-France region, about a 45-minute drive from the French capital.
However, it wasn’t just the house that had him brimming with excitement. It was the stunning, but heavily neglected swimming pool that came with it.
Pool of potential
The renovation process took around 12 months, but Jeremy is thrilled with the end result.
Jeremy N
While the pool had fallen into disrepair, it was clear that it had once been an impressive structure and could be again — with a lot of work.
“I was absolutely amazed,” Jeremy, who has asked for his full name not to be used, tells CNN Travel. “Because the potential to redo the swimming pool and create an exceptional project was everything I could imagine. I just thought ‘this is the place.'”
Jeremy, who has worked in real estate for many years, soon discovered that the home had once belonged to French actress Danielle Darrieux, who appeared in over 100 films throughout her eight-decade career, during the 1950s.
After speaking to locals, he learned that the swimming pool, thought to have been built in 1938, had once been a popular hangout spot, and many recalled being taught to swim there.
Some even sent him photos of Darrieux, who died in 2017 at the age of 100, swimming in the pool during her time in the house.
Darrieux, who appeared alongside Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the 1938 Hollywood movie “The Rage of Paris,” is believed to have lived there for well over a decade.
“That made me even more motivated to do the project,” he admits. “This place has got a history. It’s got a story.”
Famous former owner
The pool is said to have once belonged to French actress Danielle Darrieux, who died in 2017.
John Springer Collection/Corbis Historical/Getty Images
Once he’d weighed everything up, Jeremy says he cautiously put in an offer that was “about 30 or 40% less than the asking price,” and waited for what he believed would be an inevitable rejection.
“I didn’t think he [the owner] was going to accept,” he admits. “But to my surprise he did.”
While Jeremy has worked on several hotel renovations, this…
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