Château Shopping (no. 10)
Exploring the Ruin
Ruins are incredibly fascinating and inviting, you just can’t help yourself. Caving in and rotting vestiges of something that once was is the perfect description of Château la Serpent. It took weeks and weeks to get the listing agent to show us the property. We knew what we were getting into and not a single one of us was disappointed by this massive and monumental stone structure. Once a very long time ago this was a Fortress to protect the local villagers and farmers, with each owner through the years gaining the title of Lord of de la Serpent. Eventually in more recent times (the late 1600’s) the fortress was remodeled and enlarged based on the layout of Versailles.
The current owners had done some restoration work on a small section of the Château, and they inhabited those rooms for a short time, but nature is even reclaiming those parts of the castle. Although the roof if currently fairly watertight, vast amounts of damage from a once very leaky roof, windows that barely exist, and a complete lack of warmth to dry the damp are all tearing at the core of this once fabulous structure.
With most shutters still closed as they dare not be opened, we crept our way through darkened room after darkened room. Decrepit paneled walls, crumbling plaster, and many floors with massive holes showing views to what lies beneath. Phillip managed to go through one floorboard to his knee, foot dangling in the room below. Fabulous moments are around every corner, from Finely carved doors to the largest kitchen fireplace we have seen. What the massive medieval central stone staircase lacked for in intricate decoration was made up for in its sheer size, it seemed that you could comfortably walk eight abreast up the stairs, from the cellars to the attics.
Cellar door with a barred cut in the panel
The creep factor went into full effect upon descending into the ancient vaulted cellars. Wine production was the main use of the cellars and although it is in essence a daylight cellar with one side having massive wood doors that led outside onto the lower grounds at the side of the Château, these doors were closed and bared leaving the labyrinth of tunnels and rooms in complete and utter darkness. Vast vaulted corridors, monstrous wine tanks, massive barred doors, and secret tunnels. My heart rate went up as the hair on the back of my neck began to point north. I had read in a history that prisoners had been kept down here during the religious wars, were they still there? Orr what remained of them? Why were there so many dark doors with bars?
In truth this would be an incredible project to take on. So many spaces to create and work with, transform, and revitalize. But… Do I know if it was the current owners that did it? I do not, but in the past almost all of the land that belonged to the Château was sold off leaving but a postage stamp surrounding the building as the massiveness of the fortress itself takes up the majority of the land is left. There is a moderately sized courtyard in the front of the the Château that terminates at a pair of large wooden gates in the village. At the gates are two sizable houses that match the Château, one on either side of the gates. These houses along with the gates create the edge of the far side of the courtyard. These two houses each have windows looking down into the courtyard and into the Château. These two houses were sold off in the past and are not part of the purchase… awkward to say the least.
Château de la Serpent
With a landing strip of land to the right, a landing strip of land to the left, and barely enough land behind to drive a tractor on, and every Gladys Kravitz in town staring into your business, this Château is so sad in so many ways. And as much as we love it I suppose there is truth in the thought that perhaps we should not take on such a huge renovation as our first Château purchase. Perhaps on our third or fourth, after we have had a few flights under our wings, and have some understanding the workings of stone structures we will be ready for it.
The search goes on!