REAL LIFE


The north facade of the château before the renovations began


“The owner was adamant that the château must not be bought to be turned into a faceless hotel, but remain a home”


home, their children – Hugo, who was 12 at the time, Alexander, 11, Cosmo, nine, and Maximo three – were a little more sceptical about living somewhere where trees had literally taken root. Luckily for them, they didn’t


Before and aſter: Working on the dining room; the room now, with Coptic doors


have to take up residence straight away. The Warners moved into a small house up the road from the château, which they’d bought a while back as a holiday home. The children also swapped their English school for the local village school, which was a little more of a culture shock, until they discovered that they


and the local kids shared a passion fora particular sport. “This area is famous for


rugby,” says Fiona. “The kids got very involved in the Agen rugby club and that really helped us to integrate with the community and make friends. Suddenly I was the mother of four boys who played for the rugby team and we became honourary locals.”


CHANGE OF DIRECTION Miles ‘commuted’ to and from his job as a petro-chemical engineer working across North Africa, while Fiona decided to take a break from expat


4 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 202441


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