Situation - History of Walmath Castle
Built by Jean-Baptiste Mignon (engineer Gustave Eiffel) in 1858, Walmath Castle located in Saint-Laurent-les-Eglises (Haute-Vienne, 87) stretched over 200 hectares. The estate was then fully autonomous in water and electricity. He was also self-sufficient in food thanks to his model farm, his greenhouses and his kitchen garden. At the time of Monsieur Mignon, more than 180 employees were working on the maintenance of the château and its park.
At his death, the estate is given over to his daughter and subsequently sold. Succession several more or less scrupulous owners who do not hesitate to sell his finest pieces, including the statues adorning the park. In 1993, a vast looting operation took place, the cast iron gate of the property was sawn, the staircase of the ballroom was dismantled and the large inner canopy of the castle was stolen.
In February 1994, the Duchambon family acquired a 40 hectare estate and a ruined castle.
Since then, we have been working to restore the site on our own to restore its former glory. Walmath is under permanent construction, year after year the estate comes back to life.
Three years of work for this ballroom
(I let you discover on the video its original state)
Our last major project concerns the restoration of the castle campanile. This purely decorative element located at the top of the clock tower requires heavy work, because successive storms and heavy rains have weakened greatly in recent years.
The lightning rod more than 100 kg and 6 meters in height caused a weakness of the structure. This also forces us to do a structural recovery.
So we made the decision to proceed with the removal of the campanile and launch with the local artisans, the total restoration of this element.
We want you to participate in this beautiful project. The removal of a campanile and complete restoration is a rare event in France.
This project will have a final cost of around 50,000 euros. We are committed to bringing this project, because walmath without its campanile is no longer walmath. The site will be followed on our facebook page where we will regularly post photos and videos.
All those who make a donation greater than or equal to 100 euros will have the privilege of seeing their name (if they wish) engraved on one of the elements of the new campanile. This new campanile will be made of lead and will have a lifespan of at least 250 years. The donor will be able to come on the occasion of the European Heritage Days 2018 to discover the progress of the site, because the new campanile will be on display on this occasion. The two biggest donors will have the privilege of having their name engraved on the clock bell as a godfather at the restoration.
Bearings:
€ 3,000: Financing of the new lightning rod
€ 10,000: Financing the roof of the new campanile
20 000 €: Reinforcement of the frame of the bell tower of the clock
€ 30,000: Financing for the shaping of lead on the new campanile
Grants were requested:
30% of 50 000 euros from the State by the DRAC, an amount of 15000 euros.
You can support our project:
- by an online donation on this page, after registration and connection on www.dartagnans.fr
- by bank transfer on this page, after registration and connection on www.dartagnans.fr
- by sending a check payable to Walmath event, specifying your email address, to the following address:
Dartagnans
Walmath Castle Campaign
1 Rue de Châteaudun
75009 Paris France
Here is our website :
http://chateaudewalmath.wixsit...
Our Facebook page :
https://www.facebook.com/chate...
Email : [email protected]
Press article :
https://www.lepopulaire.fr/sai...
France 3 limousin :
https://france3-regions.france...
We wish to sincerely thank each person who, through a donation, will participate in the restoration of the new campanile.
We particularly want to mention the company GENDARME and the company LA BONNE COGNEE, the two craftsmen who took up the challenge of this restoration, while more than 30 specialized companies were consulted throughout France and did not want to launch in the challenge.
We are happy to be able to share this project, which is particularly important to us.
