Le Chateau de Montvason

09/04/2023

The Spring Season has well and truly started here , with our first guests and a wonderful weekend of community workshops, facilitated by Dominique, organiser of the local ‘Reveiller les Chouettes’ concert, who has been putting together a project that recounts the history and memories of the residents of our local village.

Followed swiftly by our first guided tours, by Pays d’Art et Histoire - which drew quite a crowd, much to our equal delight and trepidation 😀.

We started the ‘L’Association du Château de Montvason’, a few years ago and the ethos of the association is to open up the chateau to the community, for events, workshops, school projects etc… We feel it would be such a waste not to share this incredible space. We were rewarded with a surprise visit from a lady who used to work here in the 70s and was so delighted to revisit the chateau and felt that we had restored its soul.

A lot of visitors were also very moved by the Red Cross bedroom - our living museum and what we like to call the WW2 reflection room. It’s so heart-warming to have such lovely feedback and it’s moments like this, that makes it all seem worthwhile.

Having arrived at Montvason only a week ago, to be greeted by significant storm damage, (see imminent story on ) we weren’t sure we would be able to pull everything together in time - but with sleeves rolled up and some very long days, (thank you ) we managed to pull it off and so there were a lot of happy people - ourselves included ! 😍

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26/02/2023

Plans are afoot for our next Jazz event at Monty on the weekend of 8/9 July 🎵🎶 . . . stay tuned for more details coming up . . . ♥️🖤🤍

28/09/2022

A collection of the Red Cross posters that I researched for the walls of the room. During my time as a TV producer, making documentaries for the BBC, I had privelege of working on the Red Cross 125 Anniversary programme. It was an incredible project, where I had the honour of interviewing a Belsen Red Cross nurse Survivors, Gulf War hostages and returning a WW2 displaced camp survivor to be reunited with her family in Belarus, who had been traced by the Red Cross. So I have always held a very high regard and respect for the essential work the do and how important their neutrality was in saving countless lives during wartime. Hence why it was a natural choice to create a Red Cross form to find a way to offer a safe and neutral space of reflection and remembrance of countless lives lost, but also countless lives also saved.

07/09/2022

We are so touched and overwhelmed by the wonderful messages we have been receiving following the screening of our World War 2, Red Cross themed, room renovation on the 2nd floor. People have been sharing their own family histories and even offering to share their precious keepsakes. We are very honoured. Not everything that is filmed is able to make it onto the screens and one item that takes pride of place in the very centre of the room is this photograph of Afro-Caribbean Red Cross workers during the war. So easy to forget the very many nations that were involved in the fight and in this case in the care-giving. Of course with my West Indian roots, I wanted to make sure that their contributions are also known, honoured and remembered.

06/09/2022

Owning a Chateau, as beautiful as it is, is definitely a labour of love ❤️ After months and months of work, with the help of our friends Sean , Yaara and apprentice Alfie, we finally restore our first room on the second floor and in so doing, bring its rich history back to life and finally find a way for the Château to commemorate the soldiers and sacrifices of WW2 . . .

23/07/2022

We were delighted to host the divine Laetitia My Dolce Vita] Chateau de Montvason] recently and spent a lovely weekend together. We have long been an admirer of hers and her fabulous Instagram account. We love to follow her travels through France and her stays at some stunning chateaux and boutique hotels. Check out her page My Dolce Vita]. She has such an incredible eye for capturing the finer details. So thrilled that she chose to come and feature Chateau de Montvason] and see the Chateau through her lens. Merci beaucoup Laëtitia ! 🤍🖤❤️

15/06/2022

Chateau DIY - take 2. With massive thanks to Paul chef and brocanteur extraordinaire and for all their help ❤️ With an appearance from the lovely Andy and Dave Piggott today 😍

06/11/2021

Don’t forget folks you can follow us on TikTok
and catch up with the restoration. ❤️

18/01/2021

Just posting up a few reels that I’ve taken over the last month or two, as realise they hadn’t shared from insta - so don’t worry I haven’t gone mad - I do know it’s January! 😂

01/01/2021

Happy New Year everyone. As promised, here is the receipe for my cocktail concoction last night on our NYE chat on with the lovely Erin aka Désirée and her beau, JB from - it is a chocolate orange egg nog ! I’m suggesting you substitute advocat for eggs - have a go and let me know what you think ! Enjoy 💓- we are wishing you all the very best for 2021 ! Love Emma & Paul x @ Le Chateau de Montvason

31/12/2020

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love a cocktail. I was fortunate enough to do a cocktail course which has the oldest surviving cocktail bar, in Britain and so was absolutely thrilled to get this first edition 1930s Savoy cocktail book from Santa this Christmas. Tonight as we prepare to celebrate the start of a new year, I will be choosing a vintage cocktail to make online, with fellow châtelaine Erin from who loves making them as much as I do. Can’t wait to see what she is going to concoct! What’s your favourite receipe ? We will post up our selections tomorrow, but join us tonight for drinks and giggles on our on at 6pm UK time, 7pm french time. See you later ! Love .montvason & ###🍸❤️🍸❤️🥂❤️🍾

13/12/2020

I think I should entitle this photo - Reflections - with the shadows of the bronze spelter cassoulet against the damask wall and the Moreau sculpture of the lady gazing into the mirror. There will certainly be plenty of time to pause for reflection this festive season, in the absence of the parties and usual get togethers. I hope when you do, you will recall some lovely memories of past Christmas’s and gatherings - whilst we look forward to a new year, with we hope the chance to create more special morues, with those that we hold dear. For the time being we are wishing your well from Montvason . . .

13/12/2020

I’m dreaming of . . . we had a little smattering of snow just over a week ago, but it is rare for there to be heavy snowfall in our area, as we have the temperate climate of the Corentin Peninsula whose salty air tends to keep temperatures above freezing, which is great for our plants and for me, as you know how I love to be in the garden - just a quick post before I head on out there for the day. Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday and perhaps a White Christmas ? 💝🌲🌨

12/12/2020

What games do you love to play with your loved ones at Christmas ? I recently bought this game of solitaire. I particularly loved the green marbles, as they felt beautifully cool and smoothe in my hand. Solitaire brings back fond memories of evenings spent with my wonderful art teacher Mrs Lee, whose house I used to go to for my art lessons. After class I would go down to cellar and bring up a coal scuttle for her, whilst she made me Welsh rarebit. We would sit in front of her fire with a cup of tea, in beautiful bone china and eat our dinner whilst watching her favourite tv programme. So now here I am, 40 years later, sitting in front of the fire, with my tea in a beautiful china cup, playing solitaire and remembering a wonderful lady, who wore her auburn hair in a classic bun atop her hair and dressed in Edwardian clothes. Bless these wonderful teachers of ours