In a previous post on day trips to take from Clermont-Ferrand, I wrote about the enduring appeal of Vichy, a historic waterfront city renowned for its spas and Belle Epoque architecture. For those who plan to spend more than a day in the city there are, of course, plenty of accommodation options. One of these is the cozily-situated Château de Champagnat — a recently renovated manor with a heritage that goes back to the Middle Ages.
To learn more about its history and amenities I caught up with Kim Molyneaux, who acquired the property with her husband in 2020.
A.D. Manns: When and why did you decide to acquire Champagnat? What about the property attracted you the most?
Kim Molyneaux: It’s quite a long story — we have a holiday home in the South of France which we built in 2017. At the time we lived near Lausanne in Switzerland. Our intention was to retire to France, except in the winter. It’s very quiet near our place in the South, not much happens, and as we are quite an active couple, we felt we needed something more. So we decided to sell our house in Switzerland and look for a property we could live in, make some income from, and keep us active at the same time, somewhere between Lausanne and the south of France, as our kids still live in Switzerland. Renovation is our passion and we looked at many châteaux in need of a bit of TLC. All were beautiful, some needed more work than we could take on in our lifetime, others were just not in the right place (one was absolutely gorgeous (it had an old 30cm long key to the door — I really wanted that key!) though overlooked a nuclear power station.
Eventually we came across Champagnat. We viewed it in January 2020, the sun was shining and the frost glittered on the ground — we fell in love with the beautiful grounds. Even before we looked inside, I recall standing by the balustrade overlooking the tree-filled park saying, “I want to live here, we can make this work!” The building set up was such that we could “sort-of easily” convert the buildings into holiday accommodation and build a small apartment for ourselves in the old garage and boiler room. Covid hit — and luckily, with the relevant inoculations and travel documents, we were just able to get the paperwork signed. The first winter we lived in the lounge to keep warm (literally — sofa and bed!), the only room with a wood burning heater, while we got renovations underway. The fact that it’s near Vichy has a certain attraction too. We are now in a position where we can share it with others and their appreciation is really gratifying.
AM: What would you say is Champagnat’s most unique or surprising aspect?
KM: The peacefulness of the place — you feel like you are in the middle of a countryside oasis, yet a few minutes down the road, you are in the centre of town! Additionally; we keep finding old architectural features hidden behind walls from more recent renovations, such as 600-year-old stone door archways and an old hidden fireplace.
AM: Is Champagnat associated with any legends or ghost tales?
KM: Champagnat is a “maison-forte”, built around 1330 and believed to be named after the local fief at the time, though records don’t really start until the sixteenth century. It was remodelled in the eighteenth century. Unfortunately, the moat and drawbridge no longer exist and one of the towers has been removed — probably during one of the Revolutions. In 1655 there was a new lord of Champagnat, one Pierre Guérin, the lord of Clermont’s brother and husband of demoiselle Diane Allemand, the Lord of Quinsat’s daughter. Pierre Guérin left a son, Claude, who died in Paris in 1706 and in his will dated 23 May 1705, left all his property to the hospital at Cusset. They couldn’t afford to keep the place so sold it to a Mr Joseph de la Chaise, Lord of Usseau from the parish of Creuzier-le-Vieux. Records are patchy and we don’t have very much history sadly. When my brother-in-law visited last year, he says he spoke with a friendly “soul” residing in our lower barn. We have no hauntings or ghostly events to speak of I’m afraid. We did find some old WW2 ammunition in the vaulted cave!
AM: What would you say is the most challenging part about managing the property?
KM: Ground maintenance is hard work! The place had been unoccupied for about five years before we bought it, so we battled the bamboo and everything else that was overgrown and been left to go wild! We are gradually claiming back the grounds. Renovations are still ongoing, we have one final building to complete. We can’t make noise when we have guests so have to find quiet, unobtrusive work to do when they are here so as not to disturb them, and most of the renovation has to take place over the winter months when we don’t have visitors, which can be quite cold until we get heating installed!
AM: What do you love most about Allier? Which local attractions or activities would you recommend for those thinking about spending a night or two at the castle?
KM: This is such a great area, there really is something for everyone to do here! Nature lovers can enjoy all the scenery and visit the Puy-de-Dôme region, climb the extinct volcanoes, or visit the quaint villages surrounding. City and town lovers can visit Clermont-Ferrand or Moulins. Closer to home we are lucky enough to have Vichy on our doorstep, it’s a beautiful town with its thermal spa and water sources, green parks, quirky shops, art deco architecture, churches, riverside dining, casino, theatre, plus it hosts many events; every year in June they hold the magnificent Fête de Napoleon in honour of Napoleon III who was patron to Vichy during his era. Everyone dresses up in period costume, parading the streets and dancing the night away at the balls.
They also run lots of annual sporting events like the Triathlon and Iron Man. With its new cycle paths, many visitors hire bicycles and explore on two wheels. There’s even a golf course and water sports or kayaking on the river! The more adventurous visitors can take a parachute tandem jump or have a go in the freefall simulator at Charmeil. In the opposite direction we are close to the Château de Billy where you can enjoy guided tours of the medieval remains of the castle. Younger visitors love Le Pal, animal and attraction park and Vulcania. Our absolute favourite is Street Art City at Lurcy-Lévis, It’s over an hour away, though worth the drive!
Click here for more information on the Château de Champagnat.
