Chris and Jolyon are amongst the latest chatelains you have seen on the recent series of Château DIY. They met whilst working for the Foreign Office in 2008 and discovered their mutual lifetime dream of owning a Château.. In pursuit of the Château experience they wed in a stunning Château near Fontainebleau. This ignited their determination to fulfill the dream of owning their own chateau and they discovered Château Trois Cloches (Castle of Three Bells) which is located in Upper Normandy.
It’s not hard to understand why Chris and Joyon were drawn to Château Trois Cloches. With the orangerie having been designed by Gustav Eiffel (of Eiffel tower fame), its proximity and ease of access to the UK, stables, a bell tower and 200 year old grapevines. After some initial misgivings on the couple’s decision to buy the Château, their families now fully support their new home and are happy to knuckle in whenever possible.
Both being creative by nature, their advice to others is to be courageous and bold in your decorative concepts and designs. Their TIP for DIY projects is 33.3% knowledge, 33.3% be persistent, 33.3% just do it after all you only live once – take le plonge (paraphrase courtesy of the great Peter Mayle).
Plans post renovation is to hire the venue to large groups, yoga and music retreats and eventually weddings. Chris and Joylon simply want to share the magic of their Château home with others.
Final thought of the day from Chris and Jolyon – projects start with a nice cup of tea and end with a lovely French wine. Follow along on with them on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/ChateauTroisCloches/
