Magnol

27/08/2019

One evening over a year ago, I was pacing around the property at sundown to discover where the last rays of evening sunshine fell. It was a piece of overgrown scrub land behind the large chai (barn or technically wine warehouse) that we have dubbed 'the Haçienda'. In addition to evening sunshine it also promised a great view over the valley to the town of Condom, and on a very clear day, the Pyrenees. [ 215 more words ]

One evening over a year ago, I was pacing around the property at sundown to discover where the last rays of evening sunshine fell. It was a piece of overgrown scrub land behind the large chai (bar…

07/05/2019

Since we bought the place in 2016, we have been in a never ending war with weeds. During spring/summer, the courtyard area in front of the house can go from zero to shoulder high greenery is just a few months.I made a few backbreaking attempts to pull the offending plants out by the roots, but I was short on both skills and the required man hours We eventually found a gardener who could visit every 4-6 weeks. [ 68 more words ]

Since we bought the place in 2016, we have been in a never ending war with weeds. During spring/summer, the courtyard area in front of the house can go from zero to shoulder high greenery is just a…

07/04/2019

This winter was the first time we've been in the Gers and stayed at Magnol. Even the south of France is cold in winter. It can even snow. There's no central heating and the thick stone walls of the old house get really cold. The wood burning stove we installed is thankfully pretty big. It's a focal point of our stays during the colder months and we couldn't stay there without it. [ 148 more words ]

This winter was the first time we’ve been in the Gers and stayed at Magnol. Even the south of France is cold in winter. It can even snow. There’s no central heating and the thick stone …

03/03/2019

The house is essentially one building split in two with no connecting door. The right hand side (as you face it) used to be where the 'Guardian' and his family lived to keep an eye on about 30,000 litres of Armagnac aging in giant oak barrels on the site. After the Armagnac had been sold and we bought the property we found it difficult to describe each side, they were variously the left house and the right house of the Guardian's house and 'the other side'. [ 170 more words ]

The house is essentially one building split in two with no connecting door. The right hand side (as you face it) used to be where the ‘Guardian’ and his family lived to keep an eye on …

02/01/2019

I've discovered that it's quite hard to keep a blog post about renovating a property going going when your available spare time is going into the project itself. Hence there's has been a total absence of any updates here since June. To make amends, here's a quick review of where we are up to: After some jeopardy (see previous posts) the pool was finally finished in time for our August holiday and it's pretty stunning as you can see from this picture. [ 259 more words ]

I’ve discovered that it’s quite hard to keep a blog post about renovating a property going going when your available spare time is going into the project itself. Hence there’s has…

30/07/2018

We arrived Thursday afternoon (12th July) after an early flight. After a quick pizza in L'Origan in Condom we drove up to the house. First stop was the pool. Not much new to see, some earth movement around the sides but none of the screening trees. There was however a hose and water going in! The jeopardy is over. We'll be able to swim in the summer! [ 117 more words ]

We arrived Thursday afternoon (12th July) after an early flight. After a quick pizza in L’Origan in Condom we drove up to the house. First stop was the pool. Not much new to see, some earth m…

14/06/2018

We made a flying visit a few weeks ago in May and saw the remarkable progress with the pool. It's due to be complete by mid July and we'll have some landscaping done by then too. The travertine tile surround is done and the landscaping was due to start the week after our visit. The lining has to go in and the pumps and filters. [ 240 more words ]

We made a flying visit a few weeks ago in May and saw the remarkable progress with the pool. It’s due to be complete by mid July and we’ll have some landscaping done by then too. The tr…

17/04/2018

17/04/2018

Work started on the pool last month. The digger hit rock after 40cm of top soil. More powerful machinery finally did the job. Deadline of this summer (August 2018) for the pool to be complete.

29/03/2018

"Magnol" is a former Armagnac distillery in Gascony, South West France and the full name on the deeds is the ‘Chateau de Cannes en Armagnac’. We call it Magnol because that’s the name of the Armagnac that was produced there up until the 1990s.

A careful restoration of the property began in late 2016. It will be available to rent for 5-14 people sometime in 2019. Have a look and get in touch via the website if you want to know more.

A unique place in the heart of Gascony in south west France