Archives de l’auteur : alexdenevski

Around five kilometres south of Corvol lies the small hamlet of Chivres, attached to the village of Courcelles. As elsewhere in this area, there is evidence of prehistoric habitation. The first parish was recorded prior to the XII century, and the village developed in the Middle Ages. From the XIV century, the fortified Château deLire la suite « Chivres and Courcelles »

‘My uncle Benjamin lived with his sister; he was five feet ten inches tall, wore a large sword at his side, with a scarlet flannel suit, breeches of the same colour and fabric, pearl grey silk stockings, with silver buckles on his shoes…My uncle was a doctor, that’s why he carried a sword.’ « Mon oncleLire la suite « Uncle Benjamin »

The layout of the château has evolved over its many years of existence. Until the early 20th century, the building was much larger, and the main château (our house) was connected to two wings, housing the stables and a mill, forming a large ‘L’ shape. Following the sale of the estate in 1901, the twoLire la suite « Gates and doors »

The Château is an old house, and as we start to live in it we are identifying the niggling minor issues to be fixed, and some of the major changes that we need to do now or plan for the future. The dining area had been painted a rather aggressive red, which darkened the space.Lire la suite « First fixes and visits »

The day we had been waiting for all year finally arrived. On 11 July, we set out with two of our children, our dog Glinka, and two carloads of bedding, clothes, furniture and tools (and anything else that looked like it belonged in a château) and drove the four hours to Corvol to spend theLire la suite « Summer holidays (at last) »

It is said that moving houses is one of the most stressful experiences, and for Corvol we moved twice, over three days: firstly, a vanload of appliances, tables and chairs from Geneva, shared with our old friend Tony; and then the furniture and library of Sonia’s parents, which were in storage in nearby Avallon. TheLire la suite « An epic move »

Corvol l’Orgueilleux. An unusual name, and a Google search or two, and my clever sister-in-law asks ‘is this your house?’. Sure enough, there is the château on the gallery’s website: the shape of the roof and tower are unmistakable, although with an impressive wall along the river which no longer exists, alas. The painting isLire la suite « An unexpected discovery »

We started to believe that it would never happen. The COVID-19 crisis put France – and its legal system – into lockdown, and movement and communications all but ceased. And then, a miracle: we were summoned by the owner’s notaire to the provincial town of Pont sur Yonne to complete the final stage of theLire la suite « The first day »

It was on New Year’s day 2020 that we took the decision. It had been a difficult year, and we had been seeking a fresh start for our family. Many of our close friends congregated regularly in this part of Burgundy, around two hours’ drive from Paris, and centred on the beautiful ‘eternal hill’ ofLire la suite « A new year, and a new start »