A FRENCHWOMAN’S HOME….IS HER CHATEAU
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Martin Luther King was not the only one, you
know. For Françoise Brucy had one too. Except that her dream had nothing
whatsoever to do with complex issues of race in the southern part of the United
States and everything to do with a self-imposed mission in life to stop yet
another part of her country’s glorious heritage from going to rack and ruin in
the southern part of France. Easier said than done, really, when you are a 51
year old public relations officer working for a leading Paris fashion house and
living in an elegant apartment in the Bois de Vincennes. But as Françoise Brucy
is quick to point out where there is a will there is a way.
Her project was simplicity itself: to find a
run-down old château and restore it to its former glory and splendour - through
a large dose of tender loving care and, although she did not know it at the
time - an even larger dose of cash. But how to embark upon such an adventure?
Why, through scanning through the small ads, of course. 25 chateâux
later Françoise Brucy remained singularly unimpressed, to the dismay and
frustration of the accompanying agents. Although, to be fair, she didn’t know
precisely what she was looking for at the time.
"As soon as I walked inside the
courtyard of Château de Madière", she recalls, "I knew that I had
found my home. Here was the dream I had had in my mind for so very many years.
Even though it was a ruin. Because I could see immediately what could be done.
I asked to spend a couple of nights in the Château - I wanted to know if the
atmosphere was right. I slept more deeply and more peacefully than I had ever
slept before."
A fortnight later, back in the March of 1982,
and much to her delight she had acquired the title deeds of Madière, her
businessman husband Bernard wise enough to realize that there was little point
in attempting to stifle or extinguish his wife’s coup de foudre. Even
though he will readily admit to you (although preferably not within earshot of
his wife) that he was at that stage quite convinced that she had taken leave of
her senses. Not that he was the only doubting Thomas, mind you. For the
Regional Tourist Board from the department of the Gard stepped forward pretty
smartish with a piece of their own advice: if the château was to make it as a
going concern at all, they informed Françoise, then it would be as a modest
camping site, picking up tourists from overseas during the busy summer season.
Which was not exactly what the new chatelâine had in mind.
"I had only ever lived a four-star
life", she notes with just a hint of snobbery, "and I was in no doubt
that that was how the château should be. Up market, exclusive and expensive.
The sort of place that could be run as a business, of course. But much more
than that - I wanted a very nice place to live in, somewhere you would be proud
to welcome guests and to show off as your home."
Whereupon she promptly set about restoring
the château. A costly process, as she soon discovered, as roofers, tilers,
builders, plumbers, electricians, gardeners, cabinet-makers and dozens of other
skilled manual workers set about their respective tasks. Still, there was one
notable early sign of success when uninvited and unannounced a couple of
inspectors from the Guide Michelin came to stay - and almost immediately
afterwards awarded the château the coveted three red roofs. Nonetheless,
throughout the first year of their ownership of Madière, Bernard Brucy remained
unshakable in his conviction that his wife’s enthusiasm would diminish with the
passage of time, which was precisely what was happening to the Brucys’ hitherto
healthy bank balance. On the contrary though, Françoise was happier than she
had ever been. So happy and fulfilled in fact, that Bernard, ever the
pragmatist, eventually decided that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em and
he too decided to make his life at Madière - because for the first fifteen
months he had remained stubbornly ensconced in the French capital.
The château itself is a most magnificent
building. Situated in between the towns of Lodève and Ganges it stands tall and
proud in the hills of the picturesque Gorges de la Vis, its superbly austere
walls dating right back to the XIV century. The Brucys were fortunate in that
Madière remained in the hands of one particular family, the Jinestous, for
several centuries, the château likewise unaffected by the German occupation or
the savageries of war. The only negative point, Françoise Brucy will admit, is
that she hasn’t been very well-received in the village of Madière itself, where
there remains some hostility to well-heeled outsiders (particularly Parisians,
it seems) coming in and projecting themselves as Lord and Lady Muck. Which
hasn’t prevented a number of local people from associating themselves with the
not inconsiderable advantages which have been conferred on the village since
the successful restoration of the château.
Painstakingly refurbished (each room named
after a flower, each room unique), the overwhelming sensation is one of
sophistication, style and class - precisely what Françoise Brucy had had in
mind from the outset. In fact she remains so anxious to protect the slightly
elitist image she has created for the château that her doors will remain firmly
closed to any Tom, Dick or Harry. Only guests prepared to enter into the spirit
of things are welcome - which means savouring the sense of history and uniquely
peaceful atmosphere of her home. All of which she is able to draw out from you,
she claims, from that first point of contact - the humble telephone inquiry.
"I won’t deny that I have become
completely obsessed by the Château" Françoise Brucy reflects, "or
indeed that Madière has become my danseuse - a kind of passion, and an
expensive passion at that. I haven’t had any children myself - never had the
time - and I guess that you could also say that Madière has also become my
child. A child which I have grown to love more and more every day as the years
have slipped by."
"My wife has not been the driving force
behind the restoration of the château" Bernard chips in, "but rather
the locomotive. In the end it has worked out well, a second life for both of
us. It has been expensive, true, but we don’t like to think too closely about
the money side of things, because it is not so much a business as a
pleasure."
Well, they must be doing something right.
Because the château is now considered the most successful establishment of its
kind both in the department of the Gard and the entire region of the Languedoc-Roussillon.
And all of that without a single tent ever having been pitched in their
extensive and elegant grounds. The Emir of Qatar was a recent guest - he
enjoyed his stay so much that he shall be returning next Spring for an
additional week’s stay - and if its VIPs and dignitaries you are after, then
you need look no further than the establishment’s livret d’or.
And what about le fantôme? "What
about him?", Bernard retorts. He’s here, he’s friendly, and although
neither of us have ever seen him we consider him to be part of the family -
which means including him, for example, on our Christmas and greetings cards.
Nothing to be afraid of though. Nothing at all."
"So if there is a fifty year old Parisienne,
or Londoner for that matter, who is thinking of embarking on a similar
project," Françoise concludes, "then I would say ‘if you feel you are
able to do it, if it is indeed your passion, then follow your dream and make it
work. I believe very firmly that you can only succeed in something if you
believe in it very strongly. That’s why it works here. It requires faith and
hard work - but I love it. That’s why I seldom have the impression that I am
working here. I do intend to take it easier in the years to come though. That
said there is no obvious person for the succession. So what I intend to do is
to die managing this business - right here at the château. Now, for me that
would be a truly perfect end."
The main Web site of freelance writer Jeremy
Josephs is at www.jeremyjosephs.com Please check there if you might be interested in
engaging him as a writer.
Many of his articles are available online.
Please check the sitemap
for a complete list.