STUNNING and sublime TREASURES from the PAST. Château restoration #17
Vložit
- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
- This week at Château de Purnon we uncover the château's rare and breathtaking collection of wallpapers. Work on our roof and facades advances as the key stone is placed on the central pediment and we prepare for a secret event!
~ Products we use & love ~
www.farrow-ball.com
dumondglobal.com/products/sma...
www.hardyakka.com
www.skydio.com
riluxa.com
tadelakt.com
~ Join us ~
/ chateau_de_purnon
Patreon funding will go directly toward the restoration of Château de Purnon's epic 1812 front gates and haha. You can help support the historic restoration of Château de Purnon via joining our Patreon Community where we share an exclusive weekly video. A very special thank you to our Platinum members Charlotte, Bob & Laurie and Matt & Michelle for your wonderful support.
~ Follow us ~
Instagram: / chateaudepurnon
Facebook: / chateaupurnon
~ Support us ~
www.fondation-patrimoine.org/...
~ With thanks ~
www.culture.gouv.fr/Regions/D...
www.missionbern.fr
www.fondation-patrimoine.org
This place is so much more than some old estate. It is as much a collection of 3D works of art - as statues in any museum. What a glorious project! For the rest of time, you will be forever linked to this place of magic and history.
Thank you for your wonderful message. We're thrilled that you're following our journey!
Merci pour votre message!
Unbelievable how the wallpaper survived all these years. What a blessing.❤
Thank you for your message and for following our journey!
Watching this video about the wallpaper made me realize that you are absolutely the best people to see this restoration through as you have true respect for the past but also you will truly show us how beautiful the house will be under your guardianship.
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled that you're following our journey and we look forward to sharing more about Purnon's incredible wallpapers with you over the coming weeks.
Purnon is such a treasure. To have a working bread oven is amazing and so wonderful. I love that you have events that include the community. So exciting! You are truly blessed!!
Thank you for your message and for following our journey!
The wallpapers are just stunning. So pleased you are saving them. Such a huge task to restore Purnon. Well done everyone.
Thank you for your message. Stay tuned for the announcement that we will be part of this week regarding the wall papers!
That bread oven is simply amazing. I love the community baking together
It's a wonderful idea driven by necessity! Thank you for following our journey!
Thank you for recognizing the historic significance of this Chateau and restoring it to its beautiful glory.
We're thrilled you're following our journey!
So many things to restore and save. Bless you both for saving the chateau! Every new discovery makes me close my eyes and try to envision what it looked like in it's day.
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled that you're enjoying our journey!
The fascination never ends. Just wonderful. Thank you for sharing ❤
We';re thrilled you enjoyed it. Thanks for following our adventure!
I adore this CZcams channel, and feel very proud of the contribution my fellow Australians are making. Well done both of you.
Thank you for following our journey - we're thrilled you're enjoying our adventure!
god bless everyone involved in the restoration. from the owners to the workers. for all this is truly a labor of love.
Thank you! Our artisans and architect are simply amazing. We could not save Chateau de Purnon without them.
You really show the magic of this beautiful & historical chateau. The old wallpapers are exquisite; the glimpse of your new one, so befitting of her grandeur & your dedication and hard work are worth everything you are pouring into her in effort, funding, heart & soul. The old bakery wine making rooms are such gems too! I’m so happy for you Felicity & Tim!
Thank you for your message Kathy. We can't wait to share our announcement about the wallpapers this week. We're thrilled that you are following our adventure!
Thank you for getting into the bread oven, it really helped put it in prospective!
Only way to clean it thoroughly! Thanks for your message and for following our journey!
I love that they used a light jackhammer to make the keystone fit. It's nice to know that some things need a lot of finesse.
Indeed! They know what they're doing! Thanks for your message.
Beautiful old carriage amongst all the cast offs, amazing such an object is still there.
Having all these original pieces is half the rebuild.
LOVE working side by side on a journey in a common goal discovering gifts from our ancestors & things about ourselves. Your gratitude & attitude is inspirational.❤️🙏
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled to be part of a wonderful team of creative and skilled people working to save something of rare beauty.
Didn’t think about that. That this chateau is virtually untouched. It is void of the brandishing cluster of different decades and trends stacking like a cluttered mess upon each other that eventually have to be stripped away so that the original look and feel can be..somehow recreated. I suppose the consequence of being untouched is the neglect this precious abode has suffered. But what’s beautiful about that is the hidden, lost and forgotten history released where it has been lost completely in other chateaux of its kind. The knowledge of it, the recreation of it can be accomplished more accurately. And, indeed, the preservation of it all, too, can be in more abundance.
No matter the subject matter at the time, these videos have such a ghostly, dreamy, yet somehow approachable reaching into an otherwise exclusive past. Every corner is a treasure and it’s very inspiring to see big events being planned even with so much to take care of. Now that I think about it, it’s like cleaning (areas of) your home when you wouldn’t have otherwise because guests are coming over. You wind up taking care of parts of the property that would otherwise be far from priority. Must be a cathartic sort of accomplishment.
It is untouched since maybe early 1900s, but there are many layers and styles and alterations that have touched it in the 150 years or so before that. So many decisions on which era is referred to in each space.
@@katehobbs2008Oh. That’s very true. I was referring to chateaux and centuries old homes like it that maybe haven’t been touched since the late 1980s or Y2K period that have everything from Mid Century to spunky ‘60s to ‘80s decor and additions and alterations.
In previous centuries the bread oven in the outbuildings was used for all the locals to come to get their breads baked off and at the same time the taxes would be paid then the baker/home owner would then send the money raised in taxes to the government. Anyone who doesn’t turn up to get bread baked would be fined for not paying their taxes. This I found out from another family that’s renovating their chateau on CZcams I found this all very interesting.🤔 😊😊😊
The wallpapers are fascinating! What stories they must hold! Lovely, that they will hold a new story, with celebrations, life, love, and links from their glorious past! The entire chateau preservation is such a combination of true diligence by all!
Wonderfully poetically expressed! Thank you for your message and for following our journey. We look forward to sharing this week's announcement with you!
I’m so excited to see the wall paper so breath taking so precious such treasures. Much respect and admiration to you both.
Thanks for your message. The team at Farrow & Ball has created something exceptional with the motifs uncovered at the chateau.
Une fois encore bravo et merci pour votre mobilisation. C'est tellement rassurant et émouvant de vous voir tous les deux vous mobiliser sur tous les "fronts" pour sauver votre domaine extraordinaire. Déjà vous l'avez sorti de la ruine et de l'oubli, votre mobilisation pour le bâti extérieur dans le respect total de l'esprit des bâtisseurs du 18 ème siècle, est remarquable et exemplaire. Votre recherche des éléments de décoration intérieure , notamment concernant les papiers peints, est impressionnante, sans aucun doute elle éclairera l'histoire française de cet art au cours des trois siècle passés, art et techniques malheureusement un peu oubliés aujourd'hui.
Bravo, bravo et encore merci pour le patrimoine français.....
erci pour vos merveilleux messages. Nous sommes ravis que des personnes comme vous, qui partagent notre amour du patrimoine français, suivent notre aventure.
So glad to see Truffe ❤
She misses you!
Oh those top lessons wine barrels would mage gorgeous planters if refurbished! Beautiful
Me encantó el vídeo del castillo Purnon. Es muy emocionante ver los nuevos descubrimifntos e intervenciones en la restauracion de esta magnifica obra arquitectónica. La narración es muy buena y lo mejor, es que está traducida al español. Saludos desde Caracas, Venezuela.
Estamos encantados de que disfrute de nuestros vídeos en Venezuela. Gracias por su mensaje.
I love the music you choose. 🥰
Thank you - we're thrilled you enjoyed it!
Magnifique ! Cette recherche continuelle de l' histoire des lieux pour une préservation de l'authenticité et une restauration dans les règles de l'art est fantastique et tout à votre honneur. Mille fois merci de le partage de vos projets, votre passion et vos rêves.
Merci pour votre message merveilleux!
The blue Reveillon wallpaper is my absolute favourite. What a joy to really be able to look forward to restoring and renovating the (now dry!) interiors. 🇦🇺🌹
We love it too Kate! We chose it for the end papers in our book 'Chateau Reawakening'.
Votre engagement total est admirable! Merci. au nom de l'histoire.
I totally agree with the thanks for Tim and Felicity! Such self-sacrifice is worthy of respect! But still not in the name of history itself, it is rather the gratitude of descendants in the name of the next generations. Yet the people themselves are more important than history, if there were no them (people) and there would be no history, and who would need it (history)? In general, I'm not trying to offend you in any way, I just admire these people as much as you do!
Merci pour votre message! We don't mind whether saving Chateau de Purnon serves our understanding of history or the dreams of future generations. We hope that it is a journey from which everyone can draw inspiration!
As usual superb work on this vlog episode and on Purnon itself. Fantastic to see all the papers and some of the stone work as well as some of the outbuildings. Kudos to you two. You have my admiration.
Thanks Brett! We always appreciate your messages.
The wallpapers are so beautiful, each with such different designs depending on the time period. What history has been preserved. I can't wait to see some of them reproduced on the walls of the many rooms of Purnon. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your message. We can't wait to share this week's announcement with you! Stay tuned...
Watching your beautiful weekly updates is always a highlight of my week and this time, my heart jumped when you mentioned the Rixheim wallpaper museum! Aren’t the Zuber ones amazing? I visited it years ago and still use the cards I bought then as bookmarks … I just sent your link to my Mum who lives in Mulhouse and she loves watching your videos giving her the chance to practice her English. I must say that the way you narrate your findings and updates is perfect for people whose mother tongue is not English!
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled that your mother is enjoying our journey also. We hope that you enjoy the announcement regarding wall papers that we will be part of this week!
Purnon is so lucky to have you both! Love what you are doing with the wallpapers, so exciting! Can't wait for the decorating element of this Chateau. Once again thank you fortaking us on this journey with you ❤
Thank you for your message and for following our journey. We're thrilled that you're enjoying our adventure!
Gracias por este nuevo video! Es todo tan maravilloso!!!!
Gracias por su mensaje. Nos alegra que sigas nuestra aventura.
I love the Wallpaper Project. They are all so beautiful- even the ancient faded ones. I love the sample of printed stuff that is bi-colored tealish dark green with a turquoise relief print. Two colors and the 😢 design makes it! Another stunning vlog!
Yes, it is Truly Amazing!!!❤
Thank you both for your messages - we can't wait to share our announcements with everyone this week!
I love the building so much. So beautiful. Good work all!!
Thank you for your message. We're trilled you're following our adventure!
I find the bread oven absolutely fascinating. I hope you will share a video of the baker, actually making bread in it during the special event that is coming up when the time comes. I would love to see it!
I noticed that the bricks on the face of the Shay have not yet been replaced. The fancy zigzag design that was there before the roof was repaired. I guess that’s not a priority just now, right? Still, it was very beautiful and I expect you will get around to it eventually.😊
Thanks for your message. Yes, the herringbone brick work on the facade of the Chai will be returned shortly. it's been very wet this spring and our stonemasons have been waiting for a break in the rain of sufficient duration to give them an opportunity to finish this work.
How fortunate to have all those wallpapers ❤❤❤❤❤
Indeed. We are very fortunate to be able to record and in some cases preserve them. Thank you for following our journey.
What a buety that bread oven is. She is a thrilling project and she is in the best hands.
Isn't it wonderful!? Thrilled you're enjoying the journey!
The Wallpapers are just stunning the first one is outstanding in todays papers u pay a lot to cover your walls in such detail of beauty .
We're thrilled you enjoyed seeing our wall papers up close. Stay tuned for this week's announcement on the next steps in presenting Chateau de Purnon's wall papers and designs. Thanks for your message!
How wonderful that you can have copies of the beautiful historic wall papers made. The bread oven. is a real work of art and to think it can still be used by an artisan baker to make and enjoy bread is fabulous. BW M&R
Thanks for your message... we'll be part of the announcements this week regarding the wall papers. Stay tuned...
Love the blue wallpaper with the urns and pediments, makes me think of Versailles.
The Reveillon paper is a work of art! We can't wait to share our announcement regarding other wall papers with you this week. Stay tuned! Thank you for your message!
The wallpapers are absolutely fascinating!
Thrilled you enjoyed this episode. The Farrow & Ball has created something wonderful with the motifs uncovered at the chateau.
I can’t wait to see the orangerie completed.
Thanks for your message! The restoration of the Orangerie is perhaps a little way off... we have to prioritise!
What an amazing bread oven. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. All the buildings are just incredible.
Thank you for your message. We were amazed the first time we saw the bread oven and realised it's scale.
So proud of such a restauration. Thousand thanks and congratulations.
Thank you for your message Laurence. Stay tuned for this week's announcement regarding the wall papers. We think you especially will enjoy it!
I ❤ this episode. The music was so relaxing. Big thanks from Amsterdam. 🇳🇱 X 🇨🇵
Thank you for your message and for following our adventure!
Have waited all week for this ! My fav channel . Keep up the great work guys x
Thank you Kathryn. We're thrilled that you're enjoying our journey!
You Made my day with the postcard you send, thank you so much! So thoughtful! Your Patreon❤️
Our pleasure! Thanks for your support on Patreon!
My respect! So much work with so much enthusiasm - hats off! 👍🏻
Thank you!
I think both work, however the dark background gives more warmth and as the ceilings are so high and you have lots of lovely natural light coming in, my vote is the darker background as also the print stands/ pops out more definitely. Regards Shaelene Read Australia.
Thank you for your observations! But you'll have to wait for our announcement this week to see where we're going with this!
salutations du Mexique 😍
Another great vlog!
Thank you - we're thrilled you enjoyed it!
Such careful work every one is doing!! So fascinating how much effort is put into each tasks. Great job to everyone!! Lots of love from Tennessee!!
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled you're following our journey from the Volunteer State!
I absolutely love watching your videos. Your chateau is soo beautiful and amazing!!!
Wonderful! We're thrilled you're enjoying our journey!
❤❤ Lovely place and getting better all the time. You work hard. Lord bless you.
Thank you. We're supported by a wonderful team of skilled artisans.
Every aspect of this episode is so fascinating!!
We are thrilled you enjoyed it!
If I could I would be helping put up those beautiful Wallpapers they are stunning.I'm a baker and the bread oven would be my domain for sure , thanks for letting us follow this stunning chateau 's restoration along side you.
Thank you! We're thrilled tat you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of our incredible bread oven.
Very interesting!
We're thrilled you're enjoying our adventure!
So interesting as always . Thank you .
Thanks for following our journey!
Wonderful video
Thank you!
Amazing and beautiful journey. Thank you for sharing the history of a lovey past!
Thank you for your message and for following our journey!
As always another fascinating vlog - those wallpapers!!
We're so fortunate to have such a rich collection of rare papers - we can't wait to share an exciting announcement with you this week. Stay tuned!
Your music is always so wonderful!
Thrilled you enjoy it - thanks for your message!
Have you ever taken a metal detector around the grounds? I would bet there are many treasures to be found 😃
Yes, we have a metal detector and we use it regularly.
Can I please ask why a building and property so important to the history of France and the discovery of rare wall papers that the French Historic Department didn’t take the challenge of preserving and restoring this great property and it took a caring couple from Australia to save her? 🇦🇺❤
Thank you for your message. To be clear and we hope this video makes this point - this is a collaboration. We are financially supported by the French Government. Our architect is French as are all our artisans and tradespeople. We draw advice from French experts often. But we are thrilled that we have drawn in people form around the world to assist us in many ways. We feel that everyone should have a stake in conserving global heritage.
Грандиозно!!!
Благодаря ви!
Brilliant! ❤
Thank you!
Loved it!!!!!
Thank you
Thrilled you enjoyed it!
Wonderful, wonderful❤
Thank you!
The fact that the wallpaper of Parnon Castle needs to be preserved and catalyzed is a great idea! Otherwise, I'm watching several channels with the architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries and all turning to the same manufacturer use the same wallpaper! You've worked with them too, but I don't want to advertise them! And there is a malicious joke of modernity in this, when in the past there was diversity and now there is a continuous monotony! Tim, Felicity, you are amazing people! Thank you for your hard work! Respect from Russia!
Thank you for your message. You'll have to wait for our announcement this week. We think you'll enjoy the diversity if that is what you are seeking.
love what you are doing.....you are doing it right..
Thank you! We appreciate your message and we're thrilled you're following our journey.
You are fantastic people, you just are !
Thank you for your message. We're thrilled you're enjoying our journey!
Amazing place you have. I'm sure you are aware of how lucky you are each day.
We're thrilled that we are part of saving something so elegant for future generations. Thank you for following our journey!
So glad you are having the wall paper copied it will look amazing. The bread oven is fantastic
We will be part of an exciting announcement about the wallpapers this week..stay tuned... we can't wait to share it with you!
beautiful paper.
Thank you! But which one!!?? We hope you enjoy our announcements this week!
every 1 was beautiful. your chateau is gorgeous.
Thank you!
I love making homemade bread! Here in America, a lot of people are building outdoors ovens to use just as they did back then. “Beehive” ovens (very rare to find in old homes) were built in the wall in the fire place with a cast iron door. Heat would surround the bread oven section & once it was hot, the fire brick maintained that heat. In those, the fire wasn’t actually inside the oven itself.
That's an interesting technique. Here at Purnon, the bricks take several days to reach the ideal temperature. The bread (or pizzas!) cook very quickly. Thanks for your message and for following our journey!
How wonderful, and beautiful! I'm sure the Monuments Historique requirements have dictated what kinds of designs are acceptable for your wallpaper selections, but with so many beautiful designs and several time periods that have been represented in the existing and layered papers, it might make it a little harder to choose. I look forward to seeing what choices you have made!
Thank you for your message... stay tuned... we will be part of an announcement about the wallpapers this week!
This just melts my heart ❣ Say yes to that you one day is gonna use that grand stone bakery owen again? Airhugs from Northern Sweden. 🤗
Yes! It will be used this week as part of our special event. We also use it every year with a local baker for our open day. From time to time we've also used it for pizza nights. It is brilliant! Thanks for your message and for following our journey!
I can’t believe you made that much progress since the last video ! This is truly awe-inspiring ! I’d love to come and visit the Chateau for the Journées du Patrimoine, except I can’t cross the whole country, which truly a huge disappointment… Puissiez-vous rendre à ce château sa gloire d’antan 😁
Thank you for your message. We're sorry that you can't make the long journey to Chateau de Purnon during the Journées du Patrimoine. It is such a wonderful way to see Purnon with all the activity on site. We're thrilled your following our adventure. Merci beaucoup pour votre message!
❤❤
💙
I hope you saved that wonderful old anvil!!! Don't discard it!!👍
Of course! It's too heavy to drag to the tip! But seriously... it's a treasure. Thanks for your message!
In the prep room they would leave the dough in the sideboard to rise and them work it on top😊
That's correct. It's called a Petrin in French which comes from the French verb pétrir 'to knead'. Thanks for the extra information!
I believe you can use the wood ash to fertilize your garden beds.
Please take out the small by the orangery so its roots don’t further damage the building.
Thank you for your message. We do, in fact, add ash to our compost and our garden beds.
What a place!! You must both get pretty overwhelmed at times.... This seems to be a true labor of love. Thankful you have explored all the resources available to you as you do this important work. I absolutely love the wallpaper and once again, it's an example of how true beauty never goes out of style. I would happily use any of those wallpapers in my home today! Is there any chance that some of the wallpaper you've found will be mass produced in the future? It should be. Why keep locked away in a museum etc? Would be nice if you could earn some of the royalties etc from it as well.
Thank you for your message. In response to your question... watch this space!
Bonjour Felicity and Tim, I can't wait to hear the history of your wallpaper and see what you have chosen for the new. It was nice to see inside the pizza oven. You two are superheroes cleaning those areas like you did. Did you tell us what the animal heads on the wall meant and I missed it? I am excited to see what event is coming. Well done today. Love from N.Y.
Thanks for your message. We can't wait to share our announcement regarding the wall papers with you this week. The animal heads on the wall in the chai are depictions of lions. Their mouth were the spouts for extracting wine from the vats! Charming! We're thrilled you're following our journey!
Thank you so much for letting me know about the lion heads.
Utterly fascinating, thank you! I'm curious, was there a blacksmith's forge somewhere on the estate? In that room you cleared out in the chais I see both an anvil and a blacksmith's vise.
Yes, there was. We also found an old key for the forge. We're not sure exactly where the furnace was. But we have several theories based on some circumstantial evidence. Well spotted!
😮❤
My friend just came back from visiting family in Switzerland and in her texts while she was there she said that he aunt was going to the old community oven in the village. I asked her to take a picture but she didn't. This at least gives me an idea what she meant.😊
We're thrilled you enjoyed catching a glimpse of Chateau de Purnon's incredible bread oven!
Surprised there are no tiles in the room with bread oven. You would think they would not have wanted the dust.
Good point. There were tiles once. We found the traces of them around the edges of the room. They were probably damaged over time and when the oven stopped being used they were removed. Thanks for following our journey.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
A ma connaissance le plus beau projet prive de restauration en France.
Mon jardin d'enfance fut le Hameau de la Reine a Versailles inspire par JJ Rousseau, sur base de cette ferme qui produisit reellement pour Versailles et ou Marie Antoinette travailla reellement, j'ai toujours pense qu'une restauration doit s'attacher aux annexes du chateau, sa vie economique et pas uniquement aux pieces les plus prestigieuses.
Mes grand-parents se levaient a 5 heures du matin pour chauffer un tel four avec du fagot (le fagot etait preleve sur les haies de chenes tout les 7 ans - nul besoin de couper les arbres), la cuisson des plats etait prevue pour 14h.
Remarque sur le Masque 3M - au lieu de cartouche Vapor, je pense que les cartouches roses sont plus adaptees a la poussiere, a fortiori a la cendre (tres fine).
Merci pour ce message et pour avoir partagé vos souvenirs d'enfance. Nous sommes ravis que vous suiviez notre aventure. Nous continuerons à partager des vidéos des dépendances ainsi que du château lui-même.
Le papier peint de l'atelier Réveillon retient une fraîcheur folle. Quelle trouvaille. Je me demande combien de décors originaux de Réveillon subsistent en France?
Nous ne connaissons pas la réponse à cette question. Cependant, il n'existe aucun exemple de ce papier peint en France aujourd'hui. Il a été découvert par les experts du Musée du Papier Peint dans un ancien catalogue. Nous vous remercions de votre message.
Still waiting for my invite for dinner lol
We thought you detested flying!?
?? Not sure where you got that from. Have been overseas multiple times (by plane). Off to America soon for research for the PhD and just finished a course at Cambridge.
It was put to us when we were in Queensland several years ago with your family and you were unable to make it. Regardless, come to dinner!
Might have been when I didn't go to Stephen's funeral because I had just had knee surgery and couldn't fly.
Currently reading your book. I was 50th in line at the local library. Dad is going to have a read after me. Dad spoke to your Mum the other day and she said there are lots of wild animals on your property you wouldn't want to go near. Dad and I are having this debate about whether there are snakes there. Do you get snakes on the grounds? I reckon it would be too cold but Dad thinks not.
Hope all is well.
Funny: now that I'm starting to know the place, the drone fly-overs are showing me more interesting (new) stuff too... like a great painting.
What are all those smaller buildings on the far west side? (If I’m not turned around… farthest away from l'orangerie) They seem to have the same stone block architecture as the rest of the place. That’s the wine making building over there? Those seem too nice for just tool sheds. Was there any separate housing for the top ranking farm management, or something? I know you’ll get to it eventually. Actually this fly-over may be older. Oh man you can probably put together some amazing time lapse photos from, say, a certain spot every morning or golden hour. Or from the same route of drone flight. Just so darned cool. I’m living vicariously through you, of course! ❤
We're thrilled that you're enjoying our Skydio drone footage. The buildings you are referring to are the old Chai (wine barrel room), a pressoir (the space where the grapes were crushed prior to barreling), a small dependence (in this case an outbuilding for animals), a house and several buildings related to the house (wood storage, a small animal pen etc).
Some time when you have opportunity, what’s a “dependence?” Is that like when I rented a garage apartment in college? I was renting a dependence?
How many people worked (and of those, how many also slept and raised their own families) on that estate at its busiest, if you know? It’s so big it reminds me of an airport and all the concessions and sub-businesses. Airplanes come and go, but most of the activity is taking care of people while they wait to go or receive… Not an exact parallel, but kinda…
A dependence is a French word for what we in English would typically call an outbuilding. Literally a building the purpose of which is connected to another building. It is difficult to estimate the number of people who lived and worked on the estate in any given era. We have tried to use old census records but these are a little inaccurate. It's not simply a matter of counting old beds and bedrooms as there was a lot of accommodation for seasonal workers and in the chateau itself there were many empty bedrooms as guests came and went. in short, we don't know - dozens during the estate's heyday. By the 20th century it was declining rapidly. Thanks for your questions.
Is this going to be a museum or a hotel
Neither. It's a home - as she was always designed to be. But it is our hope that we can share her history and beauty with others. We're still thinking about exactly how we wish to do this.
Hope you have a gite there to live on site…
Prior engineering was remarkable
Thanks for your message. We actually live in a small apartment in the chateau itself. You're quite right - the artisans who built Chateau de Purnon were amazing; as are the incredible tradespeople who are restoring her today.
How do you choose the order of your projects?
Is it funding or urgency, perhaps a combination of both?
Good question. It's a little difficult to answer precisely but essentially we try and save the most historically and architecturally important buildings first (that is why we began with the chateau itself). Anything that is in danger of imminent collapse is also a priority. Finances are also a limiting factor. For example, it is no good beginning a project if we don't have the finances to finish it (scaffolding is extremely expensive and you don't want it sitting idle). We also have to factor in life style. This is our home and we have to be able to live here safely and with modest comfort while all of this is happening around us. Sometimes it may appear that we do odd projects. There is normally a good reason for this. Earlier this year we restore the roof of a small barn because the same team that was working on our chai roof could complete this project in less than a week. Saving roofs is very important to us because early intervention on a roof can save a building from very rapid collapse. Apologies for the long answer but it's a complicated calculation. thank you for following our journey!
Do you see the Chem trails in the sky?
Once the estate is completely done, will this be a private home, or will the owners make it a hotel or wedding venue?
Thanks for your question. It will be a home... as she was always designed to be. We won't be creating a hotel. Chateau de Purnon's interiors are a little delicate for commercial use. We are determined to share this beautiful place with others so that people can admire their heritage up close. We haven't' settled on an exact plan yet but we have years of careful restoration work still ahead of us. We're thrilled that you're following our journey.