The Angel & Dick Interview

escape château TO THE

Interview by Amie Henderson

© John Hersey

© Two Rivers Media/Chateau TV During France’s first lockdown of March 2020, I got to know Angel Adoree & Dick Strawbridge very well. That is to say, I never met them, but each evening we’d religiously watch re-runs of Escape to the Château - all seven series and all the spinoffs too. Each time Angel made a new purchase (the canal boat for the moat was a highlight), each time Dick got to work in the kitchen (Christmas at the Château, another favourite), we felt like part of the family. With their Château highs and lows, Angel and Dick kept us sane and inspired during the tough times.

If you’re unfamiliar with Escape to the Château, here’s a quick synopsis. Formerly a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army and more recently a TV presenter on Scrapheap Challenge, Dick Strawbridge and his wife Angel buy a dilapidated 19th-century château in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, north western France. They set about restoring the 45-room property and establishing a wedding and events business with their two small children in toe. Angel is a true creative and brings her unique style to each room of the château, often setting Dick seemingly impossible engineering challenges, to which he never grumbles.

Were you actively looking for a French château project? Or did you see the château and think “I must live there!”? What came first? The dream or the property?

When we first started dating we had a romantic holiday near Carcassonne and fell in love with France. As well as drinking some wine and eating a lot of cheese, we also looked through a lot of estate agent windows and couldn’t believe what your money could buy you over here. We started thinking about the life we wanted together and how we could make this a possibility. Originally we thought a simple farmhouse would suffice, but when we discovered we could buy a whole château to run our events business from and our wish list got bigger! Château de la Motte Husson was literally everything we had dreamed of and talked about. It had fairytale towers, a moat, the Walled Garden for Dick and the Orangery for me, and stacks of potential – we fell in love instantly and the rest is history!

Dorothy and Arthur were incredibly young when you moved to France. How easy was it to settle into French life? What were the challenges? And the best bits?

Moving with young children is a challenge for anyone! The fact it was the middle of winter and we had no heating, electricity, water or sewerage certainly added an interesting dimension to say the least. We can’t lie, it wasn’t easy, but we survived! Our neighbours and the local community were incredibly welcoming which help us to settle in and once the children started school we felt like we’d lived here for years! The best bits are seeing Arthur and Dorothy enjoying school and playing with their friends – we love their French accents too!

© Chateau TV

I can’t remember a time before Escape to the Château, but how did the series come to be on TV?

Dick is TV presenter and was for 15 years before we found the Château. The story is ironic, because our initial reason for moving was to create a simpler life. We looked for years and often talked about it making an interesting and feel good TV show. When our agent heard Channel 4 were looking for a French based show, she knew the stars had aligned. After four years of searching we found the Château of our dreams. The show was commissioned after this.

I love it when you start a new room or project. Do you think the château will ever be finished? Are you addicted to renovation?

We’re not sure the Château will ever be finished! We have done a lot but then you notice something else and think ‘must add that to the list!’. The potential of what we can do next is what we love about it. At some point we will put our feet up a bit and let Arthur and Dorothy take over. Arthur is a true gourmand and has dreams of running a restaurant from here, so watch this space!

Dick is obviously not your average DIY-er. What advice would you give those thinking of starting their own renovation project?

Give it a go! That’s always our advice. Planning is so important though – don’t rush into things without thinking about what you need and how you’re going to do it. Really anything is possible if you put your mind to it – you’ll be surprised what you can achieve just by being a bit © Ian Wallace brave and getting stuck in. >> France Property Angels half page summer 21.pdf 1 05/05/2021 13:28

Find Your Alpine Escape

Dreaming of a property lifestyle change?

France Property Angels, estate agents and professional property finders based in the French Alps, is here to help you source your perfect property. Viewings in person or by virtual visit.

Get in touch today to find your alpine escape.

More Info:

All seven series of Escape to the Chateau are available stream on All4 and you’ll find the full list of dates and venues for Dick & Angels ‘Dare To Do It’ tour at the chateau.tv. Escape to the Chateau: Make Do & Mend returns to Channel 4 this summer, while A Year at the Chateau is available to buy on Amazon. You can follow the further adventures of Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy on Instagram - @escape_to_the_chateau and

@the_chateau_tv.

© Two Rivers Media/Chateau TV

Angel, when it comes to interiors, how do you balance the history and heritage of the château with your own personal tastes and style?

I have always tried to stay true to the history and integrity of the Château, which is why I reuse many of its treasures – like the leftover wallpaper cuttings from the attic that were used for the Wallpaper Museum. As well as bringing the Château back to life with items we’ve found here, the Château continues to inspire my designs. And you have to be true to yourself.

What projects do you have planned at Château de la otte Husson this year?

We are currently filming the new series of Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend, where we help with other people with their DIY dilemmas. Then, all being well, we hope to host a few weddings later this summer. And of course in and amongst all this there’s plenty of other projects and things to keep us busy!

Escape to the Château was one of our lockdown highlights. How has the Château as a business been affected by the chaos of the last 12 months? And what have you done to diversify?

Like all wedding businesses, we had to postpone our bookings from last year. This gave us some lovely family time and we also wrote a book! A Year at The Château is our version of the first year we moved here – warts and all! It’s written in both our voices so you get both sides of the story. We had such a wonderful time writing it and loved reminiscing, laughing, crying and sometimes wincing at the things we remember.

Designing interior spaces in Morzine and the surrounding alley for over 15 years

Meet

Marine, Laurane, Frédéric & Fanny

of Déco d’en Haut

© Chateau TV

Tell me about the Dare To Do It Tour. Who is it for?

We’ve received thousands of emails over the years asking us about the Château, our move to France and renovation projects, so we thought why not go out and share our story! At the beginning of 2020 we visited theatres across the UK with our ‘Dare To Do It’ Tour – it was so much fun. The tour was a big success and we realised that actually there’s so much more to share, so in early 2022 we’ll be heading back out on the road with a new interactive tour ‘Dare to do it – so much more to say’. And boy we have SO much more to say!

I’m obviously in the Alps, where the property equivalent might be a traditional Savoyarde farmhouse. Have you ever been tempted by a property in the mountains?

We love the mountains! We also looked at property everywhere in the initial stages, and we looked at a stunning Château in the Basque region (not quite the Alps!). I think when looking for your forever home you have to think how you want to live…. Perhaps we’ll try a holiday or two or three first!

Our Design Service

From decoration advice in a single room to full turnkey projects for large chalets, we work with our clients on projects of all sizes

Our Morzine Showroom

1992 route de la Plagne Discover furniture, bedding, kitchenware, window dressings and lighting Open year-round, 9am - 12noon and 2pm - 6pm

(closed Wednesdays and Sundays)

Our Avoriaz Showroom

Galerie des Hauts Forts, Place des Dromonts Open during the winter season and by appointment during the rest of the year

contact us:

contact@decodenhaut.com + 33 (0) 4 50 79 56 65

discover more

decodenhaut.com