*October
2018: Dartagnans Season 1: 171
people supported us and donated more than €13,000 to save the
castle walls. An unexpected aid for us!
*December
2018:
the collapse of part of a wall threw all our plans out of the
window. A large part of the terrasse wall came down. This endangered
both the oldest keep but above all the gardens of the neighbouring
houses, sited below the area. The access track to the village is
blocked and cannot currently be used.
*January 2019: we found out that the Heritage Lottery had attributed €46,000 to our cause, to which can be added, exceptionally, aid from the Ministry of Culture (DRAC) as well as a bonus on the sponsorship we raise: every donation made before the end of May 2019 will be doubled, up to a limit of €46,000.
So, how can 1 = 2?
Let's take a donation of €10, with the « double-up » bonus that makes €20. 10=20, 50=100, 1 = 2! (My head hurts ! )
However, this mathematical calculation will no longer be valid after May 31st 2019!
What follows is the programme of works ahead of us. It's pretty heavy. Please support us! €10 corresponds to one slate tile placed on the roof.
The Château de Marmande is the last witness of the medieval history of a strategic territory, a frontier zone between the Touraine, Anjou and Poitou regions of France.To set the scene : Around the year 1000 A.D., Marmande found itself at the heart of a battlefield. The oldest of its walls date from this troubled era as does the network of underground passages and rooms burrowed under it. After the turbulent periods of feudal wars, the barons of Marmande held prestigious posts for the kings of France. A watchtower more than 30 meters high was built with the help, so legend would have it, of the fairy Mélusine. Jean V de Bueil, Baron of Marmande, nicknamed the scourge of the English, was a companion of Joan of Arc. He reinforced the château’s defenses, undertaking wide-ranging construction work.
His having no descendants, the château was bought in 1730 by the Count of Argenson, who laid waste to it, using the stones of it to construct his own château, leaving only the watchtower, the keep and the mediaeval curtain walls as a reminder of its past power. Rapidly sold on, the site became an agricultural operation, forgotten by historians. The current owner, the grand-daughter of the last farmer and sole heir of her generation, obtained the listing of the château as an historical monument (Monument Historique) in 2015. The architectural elements which survive to this day are of high quality and reflect the development of a fortress between the 11th and the 16th centuries: the château is in original condition.
Initial studies revealed the perilous state of the site. The château is in fact in a bad way. The owner and her partner, being both directors of documentary films within the fields of Science and History, connected with researchers in order to extend the breadth of knowledge about the archaology and the history of the castle. At the same time, the work needed to safeguard the site began, as well as the first public events taking place.
Marmande then became a shared story!
Spontaneously, a small volunteer army began to form. Brushcutting, land-clearing, moat cleaning, were all organised with an enthusiastic team. Together, they felled some trees and planted others, took down roofs, and swept up everything that was cluttering up the site. Above all, the owners of the castle are no longer alone in their efforts to bring this place back to life!
What if Mélusine, the builder fairy, came back to help us?
What if the knights carved into the stones jousted again?
Never having been the subject of either inappropriate resoration or archaeological study, this authentic fortress has become a field of study for researchers, historians and archaeologists. Its history, whilst retaining a certain mysteriousness, is becoming clearer. All this will enable us to offer a visitor trail aimed at discovering the fortress through different periods of construction and human habitation.
Since 2016, the château has been opening its gates for important events such as the European National Heritage Days, the National Festival of Science, the Springtime Poetry days, and the National Archaeology Days. An association was created to continue offering these events and to come up with other event ideas. And we have loads of ideas! In 2018, more than 1000 people joined in during the first events programme. In 2019, the site will officially open to the public between July and September. Mind you, the walls had better stay standing!
We are going to profit from the unique opportunity given by the Heritage Lottery to carry out some major works. The first is the watchtower: give it a new roof, similar to but more solid than that which was taken down in January 2017, repair the damaged masonry from top to bottom.
The second concerns
the keep tower: repair
the damaged masonry from top to bottom and redo the terrace floor at
the top in order for the public to be able to enjoy the fantastic
view from there. Given the high cost of scaffolding, it would be financially better to
carry out these two elements at the same time.
Globally, these two elements are estimated at a cost of €500,000.
Help us to save the fairy Melusine's tower! Help us to put a roof on the tower!
Every slate fixed on the tower costs €10. We have split the work into 3 tranches, corresponding to different areas of the roof.
Feel free to donate for 1 slate, 10, or more!
You can proudly say that « I too have helped to save the Tower of Marmande »!
We would be able to redo the windows of the keep tower. These mullion windows date from the construction of the watchtower, at the beginning of the 14th century.
The works needed to repair the collapsed wall are in the process of being costed. The work we have done to clear the site since December enabled the necessary measurements to be made in March. This work will be complicated, not least because of the difficulties accessing the site and the instability of the site.
As is the case for all sponsorship campaigns regarding privately-owned properties, the donations raised are managed by a association called « Demeure Historique » which pays the bills presented directly to the restoration company concerned, such businesses being chosen by the Heritage Architect. We do not directly receive any money.
You can donate online, after signing in and connecting here: www.dartagnans.fr
We have an active communication policy. As an example of this, our dossier was selected by Stéphane Bern for the 1st issue of a Heritage Lottery. You can see one photo at the Elysée Palace at an event concerning this lottery, with Président Macron! The local press and regional magazines support us and report on what we do. Regional radio and television channels have already reported on our activities and will return to cover important events in the future. We are committed to sharing with others key elements of what we are doing. To this end, our internet site is updated regularly, along with a Facebook page and a You Tube channel. Using these communication means, those interested can watch videos of the work in progress, the different events and also the research carried out at Marmande.
For us, it it important to share history, and those who support us are part of that history!
Our website: http://latourdemarmande.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tourd...
contact: [email protected]
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