Well it is great to back in France and down in Burgundy for a while... and what better way to welcome ourselves back to the rich and wacky history then a visit to a (surprisingly not wacky) medieval castle in process. Yeah, in process: about 10 years ago the owner of a chateau in Burgundy came up with the idea to find some wild land and build a 12th Century Castle.
They're using the plans that have been found from the period and working with archaeologists and historians to try and recreate the construction techniques of the period, and experiment with theories in places where they are not sure of how they did it.
All the material comes from the neighbourhood of the Castle... i.e. the Castle itself is built out of the quarry that will become the moat, the mortar is mixed from the chalk that they've dug out of the land beside them, the forest around is their supply for wood, they weave their own rope from the sheep on their land...etc, etc... our fear was that it would be kind of disney, but it was very serious and calm and informative.
The workman break their tasks to explain to you how and why they are doing their work and the work itself progresses very slowly and steadily. I was struck by how quiet the enormous worksite was. I'm used to thinking of a construction site being all pounding and noise and metal on metal, but here there is only the slow movement of stones and wood and the chinking of chisels... i guess in medieval ages when there would have been a whole rowdy village around the site it would have been a little more lively... as it was the snorting pigs were the rowdiest things there that afternoon....
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