FHS at Home: Innovation in Action - Château de Bourneau

French Heritage Society is thrilled to offer this virtual event series in partnership with our Young Patrons Circle, featuring intimate chats in English with dynamic château owners. As the ongoing pandemic has derailed the guest house and events businesses that support the restoration and continual upkeep of many historic properties, creative caretakers have taken advantage of a worldwide captive audience in need of escapism. Using YouTube vlogs, Instagram posts, crowdfunding platforms, and even a British reality show, they have successfully garnered support for their mammoth projects while raising awareness of the wealth of French architectural and cultural heritage still in need of preservation.

Our second installment of this series features Erin Choa & Jean-Baptiste Gois, who purchased the Château de Bourneau less than three years ago, pausing their careers in medicine and engineering to restore the sleeping beauty. Situated in the Vendée and built on the foundations of the original 15th C Château, Bourneau is a 19th C gem in the Premiere Renaissance style inspired by the design of the beloved Château d’Azay-le-Rideau in the Loire valley. The young couple is working full-time to painstakingly restore the original features in the château that were lost during the property’s time as a mid-century military institute. The whole process has been well documented on Erin’s Instagram account, “The Intrepid Chatelaine,” which gives a glimpse into the breadth of work and the sheer amount of elbow grease required for such a monumental project.

To learn more about this virtual event series and register for the next webinars with chateau owners, visit our Events Page: https://frenchheritagesociety.org/eve...

To support our mission of preservation, education, and cultural exchange, visit our Donation Form: https://frenchheritagesociety.org/don...