It was love at first sight and within five hours of walking through the door, I’d bought the place,” smiles actor and writer Robin Ellis, who made his name as Captain Poldark in the original 1970s TV series.
We’re sitting in the garden of his 18thcentury stone-built home, a former rectory a few miles from the picturesque village of Lautrec in Tarn. Late afternoon sun casts shadows across the undulating meadows and hills stretching before us. With views like this on your doorstep, it’s easy to see why Robin, now 78, and American-born wife, Meredith, are enamoured of their life in France.
The couple were visiting friends in 1990 when they bought the property. “We didn't set out to buy a place in France, it just happened. Our friends told us about a lady who was selling so we decided to take a look. The moment I stepped inside I had a very positive feeling,” explains Robin, who used it as a holiday home until moving lock, stock and barrel in 1999.
RURAL BLISS
When he was younger, Robin was a self-confessed ‘townie’ and could never envisage living in the countryside. Now, he wouldn’t swap rural life for anything.
“As the years passed, it was increasingly difficult to head back to London,” he says. “It’s strange, when I was living in the capital, I’d visit my parents – who had retired to a Buckinghamshire village – for Sunday lunch. Although I liked where they lived, I couldn’t wait to return to London in the evening. So, eventually finding myself wanting to live in rural France was a real surprise!”
This story is from the May 2020 edition of Living France.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2020 edition of Living France.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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