Stories of the Château
It was the history of the Château de la Boutinière that originally drew us to her. Every day we hear new astounding stories about our Château home.
During the war, a small German boy hid in the Château to escape the horrors of the holocaust. While terrible events took place right outside the walls of his hiding place, the Château de la Boutinière kept him safe. In the 1990s, he came back. He bought the Château, restored it, and lived his final days here in peace.
We feel so privileged to have become part of the history of the Château de la Boutinière. Join us and find out more about her as we restore this magnificent Grande Dame to her former glory.
Our château journey…
Alison
“I have always wanted to live somewhere like this but property prices in the UK meant my dream had been abandoned”
Zion is a Master builder with a background in engineering, I’m an interior designer. We first met on the dance floor and it was an instant attraction, so we continued as dance partners and we soon became life partners and business partners too, restoring properties in the UK.
One day, we saw Escape to the Château DIY, and our whole world shifted. We knew exactly what we wanted to do.
After looking at over 20 châteaux and a few false starts, we found the Château de la Boutinière on a historical website. It was stunning. We asked a friend to drop a note through the door to see if the owners would consider an offer.
Little did we realise our friend would have to clamber over fallen trees to get down the drive! He thought he’d stumbled upon the castle from Beauty and the Beast!
Nothing in the photos prepared us for the first sight of the Château. Although it had been attacked by vandals spraying graffiti, we could see past this to the handmade mosaic tiles on the door-step, the limestone staircase, the hand-painted fresco ceilings, the solid oak doors and the linen-fold paneling – we were blown away. And the views! The majestic English park, the sweeping drive, the red rooves of the farm buildings glinting in the evening sun – it’s impossible to do justice to its beauty.
Zion
“For me, The Chateâu de la Boutinière is the perfect labour of love. I feel very lucky.”
She’s a beautiful old building that drew us in like a magnet. I can use all the skills I’ve learned over the years, building and restoring homes for other people, to bring this beauty back to life. We’re going to create the perfect home for Alison and I and the perfect family holiday and wedding destination for our clients and friends.
We have plans upon plans! Our first job is to make sure the Château is habitable, then we’ll start the huge project of restoring the grounds and gardens. We aim to create holiday gîtes and the perfect wedding venue and are hoping to hold our first wedding in 2022. We also have ambitions to be self-sufficient. We have a generator for electricity and a well for water. We have plans to create a walled vegetable garden.
I grew up in Israel, and for a while I lived in a kibbutz, spending my days in the workshops. I love the idea of a community of friends coming together to create something incredible. That’s why we’re so keen to share our adventure.”
Get in touch with Alison and Zion
Booking calendars for garden days, events and volunteering coming soon. In the meantime, please contact us here.
Alison Wright & Zion Kadosh
Château de la Boutinière
Saint Pierre de Maille 86260
France
alisonandzion@chateaudelaboutiniere.com
Enquiries from France: 07 80 14 15 72
Enquiries from the UK: 07774 133514
SAS Domaine de la Boutinière
SIRET no. 903 313 534