An Abandoned Château with a Hidden Love Story - Our French Renovation, The Good Life

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Whilst taking time out with an old shoulder injury, we stumbled across a Chateau in need of plenty of restoration.

It was very close to a well known town. There seemed to be a public car park for visitors and no signs to deter entry; which seemed very bizarre, given the dangerous state of decay.

The Château was built in the 1870's by a chemist and inventor. He also served as mayor to the local town. When it was built it would had views all the way down the valley. Indeed today the towers can still be seen from over a mile away.

Records seem to suggest this château may have been unloved since the 1950's and probably unused since the 1980's.

During 2006 a massive fire ravaged the building destroying virtually the entire roof. Since then, it has just been left to fall into total decay. The walls started to bow outwards and crumble.

What's amazing is paintings still adorn the walls, staircases still have their ornate iron railings; albeit distorted by fire.

This abandoned château holds an amazing secret, one that will tug at everyone's heart strings.

In 1860 Alfred acquired the land on Chabassière hill (west Aubusson). The construction of the castle started in 1863 and finished in 1865. This date is still visible on a medallion on the main facade. In 1868, the painter Corot began working at the Château, sketching Aubusson, and Château surroundings.

By the 1960's, the land had begun to be subdivided and sold off. By the 1980's the Château was abandoned so it was no wonder that in 2006 it was subject to suspected arson. A massive fire ravaged the building destroying virtually the entire roof. Even some of the walls collapsed. This was the final curtain for this the once quirky and wonderfully, eclectically eccentric château.

Now, this château is in a dire state, there are mature trees growing through collapsed floors and most of the walls leaning and are about to tumble. The once famous dove cote has lost most of it's tiles and is also starting to crumble. In a couple of years there will be little left of this once majestic building.

Alfred Roseleur
It was built for the industrialist, chemist and inventor Alfred Roseleur (1820-1881). He was a master of electroplating and the emerging techniques of electrolysis and electrometallurgy. He wrote a particularly accomplished work, which was considered a definitive reference during the 19th and 20th century. His techniques and recipes still survive today.

Alfred was born in the Charente, (Limoges) and made his fortune from products used in gilding, silvering, electroplating and photography. Between 1878 and 1881, Alfred served as the mayor and general councilor of Aubusson until his death.

Les Ballons de Gravilliers - Love Story
In certain circles The Gravilliers Balloons is a very popular story. Most post card collectors, pigeon enthusiasts and romanticists in the Creuse will have probably heard of this story.

During 1870 France was at war with Prussia. When Paris was seized, Alfred Roseleur was imprisoned. In order to communicate with his wife Léonie at the Château where he would to attach letters to children balloons. He would release the balloons from the balcony of his apartment.

Alfred's apartment was in the 3rd Borough of Paris at 23 Rue des Gravilliers, hence the name "Ballons de Gravilliers".

From September 18th, 1870 to the end of November and then from end the December to the end of the siege; a total of 136 days. Alfred wrote to Léonie Roseleur almost daily as they were madly in love. Sometimes he would even write two letters per day. The first letter being sent by balloon relying on luck and the second being delivered by hand.

Inside the envelopes was a 20 centimes stamp and the message, "à remettre à la poste de France" - to be delivered to the nearest French post office. So far, around 22 (unconfirmed) of these famous letters have been found and form the so-called Gravilliers collection.

Each balloon was numbered. In total there were 90 letters, with many of the letters lost to bad weather and the natural surroundings.

Maybe, this is a renovation too far for many. However, as Dan from Escape to Rural France is proving, where there's a will, there's a way!

This is not the only château like this in the Creuse. Whilst many know of Château de Chaumont, we know of at least 4 others in similar condition and we have only just moved to the area.

There are over 330 châteaux, tours and grand masons in the Creuse. We love spending our weekends touring the countryside, catching the abundant glimpses of an ancient castles and towers and learning about French history.

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