Château Shopping (no 6)
A revisit and a sentiment découragé
Would you run down and light the boiler please… HA!
We have made another crack of dawn excursion to the northwest to have a second viewing of Château de Cadres. Our first journey to the castle was on a dark, moody, misty, and rainy day, which seemed to disguise the reality of the property and simply make it sort of magical. The second trip was bathed in sunlight and the skirts were definitely lifted. In opposition to our first visit, this time I really focused on the problems, issues, and deficiencies of the property. It was revealed that the Château was built in 1883, which in Château terms is practically brand new. Being that it is only 138 years old, I marveled at some of the decay. Why are parts of this castle in such bad shape? In truth it comes down to one word, the one word that is the problem with so many Châteaux regardless of age… Neglect! a very fine and expressive word, Neglect… it means exactly what it sounds like it means,… I will get around to it tomorrow, I don’t have time for that right now, I can’t afford to take care of it, or worse, I simply no longer care. Dirt and filth creeping into everything, living vines and trees slowly pushing things over, or creeping into spaces they were never meant to be. Window, and door paint being allowed to dry, crack, flake and fail, mortars between stones and bricks slowly turning to dust and falling out leaving very little to support the walls or foundations. Rooves (I am from Oregon so it is “Rooves”) falling apart from exposure to the elements, and generation upon generation adding and subtracting new and old technologies from running water and waste disposal to electric, heating, phone wires, and television cable.
With the change in inheritance laws during the reign of Napoleon, estates are now, by law, split equally amongst the heirs (and there can be a great many!). Prior to this change the bulk of an estate would go to the eldest son with the concept of having the means to maintain the family home and holdings. Many Châteaux have been left to fend for themselves with estates having to be legally split equally. There simply are not the funds to maintain them, and doing so requires a group of family members to share in the cost and agree to everything that must be tended to… I just imagined my own family doing this and started to laugh! World War Three!
Such it is with Château de Cadres. From the monster Virginia creeper trunks pushing over the massive stone balustrades, the the roof leaking like a sieve, the deferred maintenance is going to bring the Château down. Nothing is in the dangerous category, yet. But it all must be taken care of and it will require a vast amount of money to do so. And there is the balancing act! Purchase price versus renovation cost, and the two do not currently weigh each other out. I do think it is possible to come to a price point on this one that would make sense, but then there are other things to consider.
1883… although built to resemble a much older castle, the 1883 presence is very obvious. It is the height of Victorian over the top woodwork built into what is supposed to be a Renaissance style structure. Add to that the contemporary style of the time of having smaller rooms with somewhat lower ceilings to make them cozier and easier to heat. As much as we love Victorian architecture, I don’t think that is what we are looking for right now. We could have that in the states. We came here for the fabulous Ancient Everything and buying Victorian almost feels like shopping at Ikea for antiques.
Regardless of all I say, this Château is not out of the running. When viewed from afar, and even up close, there is a magic about it that is incredibly appealing! What is lacks in ancient French style it more than compensates with its grandeur and presence. The space is ample, and the potential huge. And who could resist those views!!!