Dick Strawbridge and his wife Angel Adoree swapped their east London flat for a romantic château in the Loire Valley. But bringing the 18th-century property into the 21st century wasn’t always the fairy-tale story it would seem, as Catriona Burns discovers.
Once upon a time, in a land just across the Channel, a newly engaged couple called Dick and Angel scoured the French countryside in search of their dream family home. They imagined that their £300,000 budget could afford them a cute country cottage, a renovated farmhouse or even a seaside villa but when they discovered that it could buy them a grand château in the Loire Valley, all of their wildest dreams came true…
“Every night, we sit on our steps with a glass of something and smile for 10 minutes,” Dick says of the pair’s rather enviable night- time routine.
It’s little wonder the couple are keen to toast their success – they’ve certainly earned it. At £280,000 the château may have been a bargain, especially compared to UK prices, but it came with quite a considerable catch. Having been abandoned for 40 years, the property was without electricity, heating or running water and so the couple embarked on a monumental restoration project to bring it back to its former glory, all of which was documented in the Channel 4 series, Escape to the Château. “She’s found the one she wants,” Dick shouts in the opening episode on their first visit to the property. “We’re in trouble.”
In the months that followed, the couple moved out of their east London flat to France where they got to work on the renovation process, giving themselves an autumn deadline in time to host their planned wedding celebrations at the venue. In the depths of winter and with two young children to care for, the process took its toll at times, especially when Dick had to leave Angel, or Angela as he likes to call her, for work to finance the cost of the restoration. “I moved my family to a building site and then I had to leave to work in America for two months,” Dick recalls. “It was very hard for Angela and I felt very far away.”
Denne historien er fra Autumn 2016-utgaven av Living France.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Autumn 2016-utgaven av Living France.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company
If your current employer is happy to let you continue working for them after you move to France, there are a number of rules and regulations to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the law, as Catharine Higginson explains
On vintage soil
Life in the vineyards of Aude is a dream come true for Leicestershire-born Katie Jones who now successfully exports her wines back to the UK, as Brigitte Nicolas learns
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
What happens if you are buying a French property but can’t attend the completion meeting at the notaire’s office in person? Matthew Cameron explains how a power of attorney can be used and how it works
In safe hands
There can be few more unusual homes than the 11th-century Château de Clérans, situated close to the Dordogne river in the Périgord Pourpre region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE
Robin Ellis made his name as the original Captain Poldark but a diabetes diagnosis led the Tarn-based actor to add cookbook writing to his CV, as Richard Webber learns
My frugal France
Embracing modern technology could save you money and time on both the pleasures and essentials of life in France, says Laura Harley as she shares some of her favourite French apps
Hidden Talents
Moving to France enabled these three expats to switch off from busy careers and in turn discover new creative talents, says Gillian Harvey, who counts herself among them
Beauty to behold
With its legendary vineyards, charming old towns and rich gastronomy, Gironde is quintessential France at its best, as Alison Weeks discovers
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
A Dordogne town, a Charente city and a Pyrenean village all have a starring role in three new films hitting the big screen this year, joining a long list of French locations that have gone before them, as Vicky Leigh learns
A local's view
Trish and Mark Tyler run a beautifully restored chambres d’hôtes, set in six hectares of park and woodland near StÉmilion, which has a fascinating history
