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You will recognize the faces of Paul and Emma, owners of Château de Montvason (ideally located on the Cotentin Peninsula close to Cherbourg).  The Château de Montvason has been featured on Channel 4 Escape to the Château DIY and you’ll see how Paul and Emma have progressed in the upcoming Series.  This is what they had to say about their Château DIY experiences:

“We fell in love with the Château de Montvason in August 2016.  The house had been abandoned in 2008 and was in a terrible state of disrepair, we knew we had to save and restore (in the words of Dick and Angel Strawbridge “restore the dream”) this historic building for future generations and to open the doors for the community and for an event space.

Everything in the house needed attention from heating, wiring, plaster and of course decorating. Our first port of call was to restore the white salon but not overly so and being sympathetic to the needs of the building. Room by room the house has felt our touch and two and a half years down the line the fruits of our labour has proven its worth.

Last year UK Channel 4 Escape to the Château DIY followed part of our journey with everything from restoring the maze, D Day events, our first artist retreat and building and restoring the balconies on the front of the house. The Château has proven very popular with B&B guests, the local community and of course event organisers.

Boasting a heated pool, the house is situated on 10 acres of its own parkland in the middle of the bocage, but not too far away from local towns and amenities.  At just 15 minutes from local beaches and 20 minutes from the port of Cherbourg the Château is easy to get to and in a beautiful setting.”

Recently we had the good fortune to be invited to the Château de Montvason to view the property and to meet the charming hosts.  Although of their own admission Paul and Emma have little time for hobbies they do enjoy spending time working in their 10 acres of forest and garden and then relaxing by listening and dancing to their 78 RPM collection of swing records. 

Paul and Emma’s talents do not lie solely in château restoration.  Paul is well known on the London swing scene for his extensive knowledge of 20’s and 30’s jazz and for his rare collection of 78 rpm vinyl records (some dating from 1917) which he has been collecting since the age of 13.  His expertise is regularly called upon by producers from the film and music industry. In his “spare time” Paul is at the forefront of the top vintage swing events in London and the UK where he has been DJing for over 30 years. 

As well as organizing events at the Chateau, Emma partners Paul at the UK vintage swing events as the welcoming face, PR person and orchestrator.  Ever seeking music and laughter in life Emma loves to plan birthday celebrations which turn become wonderful parties enjoyed by all lucky invitees. Being French Emma is in full agreement with Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” but she makes certain that all those calories are danced off!

Paul and Emma truly are living the dream.  We are excited to follow them on the upcoming Channel 4 Escape to the Château DIY.