Co-founder Oléa Françoise, a landscape architect, designer and instructor for over three decades, specialises in historic French architecture and garden design. Responsible for the interior renovations at the manoir, she is now heading the garden projects and teaches history, classical design and hand rendering.

Co-founder Patrice Pinaquy is a fine woodworker and conservator of decorative arts who works exclusively with his extensive atelier/museum of 18th and 19th century hand tools. His passion is the profound visceral connection between the artist ,the tool, the material and the masterpiece. His lifelong mission is the preservation of fine hand craftsmanship and to ignite that conviction to younger generations.

Jean-Pierre, a true “berrichon”, a native to the ancient province of Berry, is a magician of anything in stone, brick and ancient buildings. He will be in charge of the building facade, the cobblestone paving, the stone fountain and constructing the new location for the letter box.

Patrick Tibault, a master of metal will restore, modify and install the “new” 19th-century forged iron entry gate.

Blacksmith Michel Nicolas, our artist in ancient iron, will be at the forge in charge of detail metal work, locks, knobs and the sconce

Regis Demange, artist, sculptor and dear friend, will forever be remembered in our hearts and in the legacy of his beautiful masterpieces of stone.

Valentin Ciron and crew are masters at installing light and power through thick historic stone walls without leaving a trace.

The roofer and carpenter specialises in traditional slate mansards and historic buildings. They will show us how to repair and install slate and zinc elements including the zinc weathervanes.

Clair is a master in equitation. She will help and instruct in all things hooved.

Our magnificent Comtois draft horses Dolly and Dalila will be very useful in helping us move heavy stones. They might need a carrot or two for motivation.

You will fall in love with Argos Drakkar and Loulou Bird, but don’t let them fool you, they already ate.

Inseparable and a tiny bit annoying, Rocky the donkey and Framboise the pony will make sure to brighten your day.

Our design muse is the celebrated French landscape architect and master gardener André le Nôtre. He is most known as the creator of “le jardin à la Française” and for designing the gardens of Versailles for King Louis XIV, during the time the monks were occupying the convent here. It just so happened that the king’s favourite monastic order was the Récollets.