In Nottingham the average price of a detached house currently sits at £360,041, according to Zoopla figures. You'd get a very nice family home for this and of course we are talking about an average price here - homes can soar in the city and county to in excess of a million or even several million. So, how much would you expect to pay for Channel 4's 'star of the show' Chateau? The Escape To The Chateau dream property has gone up for sale.
The high-profile pad is being sold for less than a top end four-bed in Bramcote or Keyworth or a five-bed in Beeston Fields Drive. In fact, the Mirror, which spotted the property for sale, commented that the 'sprawling mansion' was up for sale at the same as a one bed flat in London.
Escape To The Chateau DIY is a Channel 4 hit programme that follows the lives of Brits abroad as they restore, in some cases, rambling wrecks and return them to their former glory. Stars of the show are Lt Col Dick Strawbridge and his partner Angel Adoree who we first saw in Escape To The Chateau when they traded in the two-bed apartment in Essex and bough a dilapidated 19th-century French chateau with the aim of renovating the building and surrounding land to create a wedding and events venue.
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After their tireless work, the now stunning property in Saint-Maixent-l'École, western France is up for sale. And despite having nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms, its own fully licensed vintage tea room, bed and breakfast suite and even its own British food store, the property is on the market for just £724,916.
Regular viewers of the show will know that features of the property include exposed stone walls and stone staircases, beams, mouldings, tower and two large vaulted cellars. As a wedding venue, it is idyllic with a small lake and waterside pavilion, while there are also stables, cowshed, a large barn, a hunting lodge and a self-contained apartment.
The listing for the chateau reads: “Recently restored, this beautiful residence is a magnificent family home while offering a wealth of options for a special events/accommodation activity. The chateau is already well-known locally and further afield due to its starring role on Channel 4’s Escape To The Chateau DIY.
“It has been renovated to a very high standard by the current owners, who have also worked hard to restore it to its rightful place in the hearts and life of the local community. Whilst preserving the original features, renovation work has included insulation, the creation of a self-contained apartment and studio/gîte.
"Together with its much-loved stylish Vintage Tea Room (fully licensed), bed and breakfast suites and very popular British food store! Architectural plans, and permissions to create a further six gîtes, a restaurant and a large reception room have already been obtained.”
Thousands of huge chateaus throughout the French countryside are collecting dust or falling into disarray. Olivier de Lorgeril, chairman of La Demeure historique, says the increase in families selling their chateaus is down to the expensive upkeep as well as there being more desire to live in cities. He told Tatler: "The younger generations are urban. They often want to have international careers and to live in towns and cities".
Dick and Angel initially paid £280,000 when they first bought their dream home in France - which has 45 bedrooms and is surrounded by a moat. Speaking in an interview with Radio Times', View from my Sofa Podcast, they said: "The children are turning nine and 10. They’ve had an innocence and joy in what we’ve done". They added: "We’ve got lots of things we still intend to do, but we want to protect the family part of it".
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