The Castle
In the beginning was a locality, Beaudette, in Artigues near Bordeaux. A small hamlet existed. On this site, Mr. Lawton, Abraham of his first name, built in 1760 a chartreuse, that is to say a solid farmhouse but without particular grace. This one on three levels was flanked, in its beginnings, by two returns on the ground floor. The property, although amenity, had an agricultural function to meet the needs of the occupants. Then there was the Revolution and the Empire. In the 1820s, a woman, Désirée-Adélaïde Huet, acquired the estate which originally comprised 25 ha. It may seem surprising for a single woman to acquire agricultural property, but we must remember that we are in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars and that the grim reaper was at work there. Thus, for lack of men, women took control of the economy.
In 1836 Désirée married a certain Lafleur, a lawyer in the Parliament of Bordeaux. This one died rather quickly leaving a widow Désirée, without children. Out of grief, she renamed the building Lafleur in honor of her late husband. Vicissitudes of life, the property changed hands several times before the Despujols acquired it in the 1880s. tower and the addition of a wing with no connection to the original architecture. It is this juxtaposition of styles that makes the flavor of the property today. In 1990 it was dormant, destined for probable demolition, the roofs of the outbuildings were leaking, a barn had burned down, the interior was eaten away by humidity, the old decorations were no more than shadows. of what they had been. It was then that Danièle and Henri Colombani discovered it by chance in a state of near abandonment.
Never mind, the task does not scare them, they acquire the property and roll up their sleeves after deciding to leave Canada, after many successful years. The children will follow and actively participate in the renovation.
With the help of Quebec workers, in a few weeks, they completely renovated the main building, keeping only the walls, floors and roof, and created a modern residence inside the castle. Commons will take longer. In a few years, Château La Fleur had regained part of its luster. In 2020, shortly before her death after a long illness, aware of the work done, Aya asked her husband not to let his work disappear and to transform the castle into a guest house.
We present the result to you.
