French Château school centre - French, activities, visits, evening ents! » History & Philosophy
History & Philosophy
The Château is situated in the region of La Manche in Normandy. It is 90 minutes from Cherbourg and Caen, 15 minutes from Avranches, Villedieu-les-Poëles, the local beaches and the fishing port of Granville and 30 minutes from Coutances and Le Mont St Michel. The Château nestles in its own grounds which incorporate an orchard and cider press, boule pitch, farmyard, a lake for fishing and canoeing, a river, an assault course and climbing wall, archery range, woodland and meadows, volleyball court and stables as well a floodlit hardcourt area perfect for football, tennis and basketball. It can accommodate a large school group plus accompanying staff in comfortable modern rooms with excellent (mostly en suite) bathroom facilities. If you would like a brochure please fill out our simple online form.
La Philosophie
The Château is all about French language immersion. Everything that is done at the Chateau involves using practical spoken French to convey meaning, and the children are encouraged to speak French to get what they want. A friendly, French environment supports this philosophy.
As one of our party leaders said; "The classroom situation is always artificial to some degree. Here my pupils know its for real. If they know that when they want something, they have to ask for it in French, they will do it!"
The pupils leave after our full week programme having had a great time in a fun but educational environment. Their ability to speak French will have improved substantially but more importantly pupils will have the confidence to use French and they will understand the practical benefits of learning and using the language. We hope this translates to having pupils who are both more able and more motivated back in the classroom on your return.
L'Histoire
The Château and its Veranda were constructed between 1850 and 1870 by Mr. Boudant, a well off man from the Avranches area, who already owned three local farms. In 1870, he created the lake and its island, with the aim of going there to relax. The Château was the living quarters for the owner and family, the surrounding buildings were used for the farm. In 1894 Mr. Boudant decided to construct a second farm on the land (this farm still neighbours the Château and is called “La Baudonnière”). To divide the two farms, he planted thorny hedges.
A true story from this period. The jockey and the valet for one reason or another were jealous of each other. One surprised the other while he was sleeping and tried to cut his throat with a razor. They had to be calmed down and the doctor and the police from La Haye Pesnel were called!
In the 1900s, the property was sold to the Salvalette family, but due to the head of the family’s bad health, they never moved in. In 1929 the Château was sold to Mr. Queslier who built a hen coop. He then sold the Château in 1931 but he did not have much luck, because in the same year a fire broke out in the forest near the Maison Rouge.
In 1939 the Château was bought by a family called Sirot, who during the war fled the Château. The property was then occupied by the Germans and was used as a command office : Kommandatur! The German Air Force couldn’t bomb this area and so the red colour of the bricks was useful to symbolize German occupation.
Numerous other people owned the Château before Mr. Lewis, headteacher of Riverston School in England, bought it in 1991. This school still visits the Château today. Mr. Lewis transformed the stables or (l’écurie as they are known in French) into the dormitory block called L’Ecurie! He also carried out numerous other works before opening a Linguistic Centre in 1992. The educational project of the Centre was to learn French in a fun way. As a result, activities such as, canoeing, mountain biking, a small assault course, orienteering and climbing (which took place on planks of wood leant against a tree) were put in place.
The current owner, Mr. Goddard, took over the structure in 1997 and a lot of work followed. A games room was created in the old tractor shed; A hard court all sports area was added; Gérard’s old house (Petite Maison and Les Abeilles) and the Menuiserie were transformed into dormitories. Then in 2003, the Staff Room and the Maison du Verger were added. The Lake was dredged so that Canoeing could be re introduced and new activities, like Fencing and Archery, were introduced and old activities were improved on both the linguistic and the fun aspects. In 2009, the Pavillion du Normandie was added with its new kitchen and dining rooms.
The Château’s history is followed closely by Gérard, who first arrived at the Château on the 1st December 1966 as an agricultural worker. Today he is responsible for the maintenance of the Château.