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00:01Owning a property abroad is the ultimate goal for most Brits.
00:05It's like a dream come true. It's just so magical.
00:08But for some, a conventional home just won't do.
00:13A lot of it was ruins, but we fell in love with it.
00:18They're setting aside their fears.
00:20The key is to never look down.
00:22To do something remarkable.
00:24It's a mammoth task, really.
00:27Resurrecting Europe's lost villages.
00:30I think any sort of rational person would probably not try and do that.
00:35In this series, we meet the brand new pioneers.
00:38I think I'm a bit all over the place. It's like it's a big day.
00:41Delving into their village's past.
00:44I think that's powder flask.
00:47And we revisit those who already made the bold leap.
00:53And are still battling to keep their dreams alive.
00:57One year. One year without some disaster.
01:00But can they win the race against time?
01:03At the moment, it just feels like everything's falling down and nothing's going up.
01:06To turn crumbling buildings into family homes and successful businesses.
01:12It's a really big moment for us.
01:14Oh, bless you.
01:15Or will it all fall down around their ears?
01:20Oh! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come
01:25out!
01:25As they try to restore the past to build their future.
01:30Because there's a whole village to be built yet.
01:36Today...
01:36He looks like he's in an ice cream bag.
01:39It's the dawn of a new era for a Sussex family in central France.
01:44It's the first day, what I would say, to me anyway, in paradise.
01:48But it's been a dream, really, for a long, long time.
01:50And one village saviour turns content maker
01:53to help with his battle to save a storied chateau.
01:57We're able to use social media and gain attention for the chateau.
02:02And that provides all the income we need.
02:04In Romania, it's a case of delicate demolition.
02:09These are the old keys.
02:11It hasn't been played for the last 20 years at St Tatters.
02:15As a couple endeavour to save seven centuries of Saxon heritage.
02:20If we could save this original organ that was built for this church,
02:24this would be such a joyous experience for us.
02:28And in Bulgaria,
02:30could a former truck driver's journey end before it's even begun?
02:35Although I'm in the country,
02:37I have to leave after 90 days
02:39unless I can sort my visa, which isn't going to happen.
02:53The Second World War saw Europe torn apart
02:56by six years of bitter, bloody conflict.
02:59Decades later,
03:00relics of France's wartime struggles litter the land and sea.
03:05But some of its scars are hidden from plain sight,
03:08like the forgotten hamlet of La Gallisserie in the Vienne Department.
03:14Once home to a noble family,
03:16during the war,
03:17this manor house became the underground home of French resistance forces.
03:22And now,
03:23Lolly and Sean from Sussex are fighting to preserve its existence.
03:30With the history and the wars,
03:32it's probably had a lot of time of struggle and heartache.
03:37And now we're living in allegedly better times.
03:40So,
03:42she's singing again, hopefully.
03:44All the wars are singing and chatting and happy.
03:46So,
03:47that's all we can do, isn't it?
03:49And protect it, really.
03:53Lolly and Sean bought the village for just €141,000.
03:57And in just three years,
03:59they've turned a collection of ramshackle buildings
04:01into a home,
04:03a two-bed B&B,
04:05a holiday let,
04:06and a yoga studio.
04:09But now they're preparing for the most exciting chapter yet
04:13in the village's rebirth,
04:15welcoming Lolly's brother, Greg,
04:17as La Gallisserie's third permanent resident.
04:21With the work that he's going to do on there,
04:23it'd be a completely different place.
04:24The village could be completed within another two or three years.
04:29That's going to be lovely, isn't it?
04:30Yeah, totally, yeah.
04:32It's December.
04:34The beginning of winter hasn't been without incident for Lolly and Sean.
04:38A problem with the recent window delivery
04:40delayed them getting their jeet watertight.
04:43But finally,
04:44the brushed aluminium doors and windows are in.
04:47And the couple's first holiday let
04:50is open for business.
04:53Sean also fitted the last remaining manoir window.
04:57So now Lolly is working on a window dressing.
05:01This is the pelmet.
05:03So that sits on a pelmet shelf, hopefully.
05:07It's the heaviest pelmet I've ever made in my life.
05:12Lolly's flair for interior design has given the couple's B&B rooms a timeless look,
05:18blending antique furniture with contemporary materials and fabrics.
05:23But since the manoir's tower was designed for practicality over aesthetics,
05:28all of Lolly's soft furnishings must be made to measure.
05:36Lolly and Sean hailed small victories like this almost daily.
05:40What do you think?
05:41I think it's great.
05:42It's really good.
05:44Hmm.
05:44Nice.
05:45Team effort.
05:45Well done.
05:45Stressful.
05:47But now they're getting set for an altogether different celebration.
05:52Lolly's twin brother Greg recently sold his house in London and today he's due to arrive
05:57in France.
05:58But this won't be a casual stopover.
06:01He's moving here for good.
06:03Greg's due here, I think, in an hour.
06:05He's going to arrive three or four hours earlier than we even anticipated he was going to be here.
06:11So now it's all kind of like switch on, get this stuff out here.
06:15Lolly and Sean have been using this barn as a dumping ground.
06:20That can go up in my utility, please.
06:23But soon work will commence to turn this drafty, unappealing space into Greg's forever home.
06:30He looks like he's in a nice cream van.
06:34For three years, Lolly and Greg lived 500 miles apart.
06:38Oh, bless him.
06:40And in the end, it was a shared affection for this extraordinary village that brought them back together.
06:47You're all right.
06:48I need to get wet.
06:51Do come in.
06:57The next day, Greg is rested and ready to embrace village life.
07:01It's the first day, what I would say, to me anyway, in paradise.
07:05Well, it's been a dream, really, for a long, long time.
07:07So it's phenomenal.
07:11The sonorous structure which will become Greg's home
07:14was originally built as a milking shed that doubled up as a winter shelter for livestock.
07:21The barn was stripped and used as a warehouse
07:24when the village was most recently owned by melon farmers.
07:26And now its residential conversion is well under way.
07:32And I'm really excited because I've got this amazing prospect and project with his barn
07:39to turn this into an absolutely fabulous house, darling.
07:46The barn conversion could take 12 months to complete.
07:49But Greg knows it'll be worth the wait.
07:53Still can't get used to that view, though.
07:56It's a million euro view.
08:06To many, the idea of rescuing an entire village might seem like an impossible dream.
08:13But in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania
08:16lies a living example of what two decades of care and commitment can achieve.
08:24For over 750 years, the village of Kund was home to a community of German-speaking settlers
08:30called the Transylvanian Saxons.
08:34But when communist rule swept through in the late 20th century,
08:38many left the land they'd called home.
08:44Today, the village has been revived as a tourist destination,
08:48thanks to Jonas and Ulrika,
08:50a couple determined to see the village thrive once more.
08:58When we came in 2003, many, many people had left already.
09:03This was our motivation to say,
09:05we need to do something to keep people in the village, yeah?
09:08And we came about this concept of the scattered hotel,
09:13and we are now operating 12 properties in the village, plus a church.
09:21But the village's 14th century church is in need of extensive restoration.
09:27It's taken 20 years of fundraising,
09:30but the goal has never changed,
09:32to bring the church back to life as a space for the whole community.
09:36It's November, and recently they've taken a huge leap forward.
09:42So this church is now, for the next 49 years,
09:47part of the Regina Maria Foundation,
09:51which is a big charity in Romania.
09:52Royal Family is a patron of this charity.
09:55We hope we'll be starting to build in springtime,
09:59but I think our biggest problem
10:01will be finding qualified specialists,
10:03because this is a grade A-listed building,
10:05so it needs to be treated with a lot of respect.
10:10But the search has begun,
10:12and Jonas has found their first expert,
10:15Burkhardt,
10:16who's come today to assess the condition
10:18of one of the church's last surviving treasures.
10:23The church organ in our church is in big need of restoration.
10:29Of course, it's always nice to save as much original parts
10:34as we can do from this organ,
10:35but it hasn't been played for the last 20 years
10:38in St. Tatters and many different places.
10:41Built in 1835,
10:44the organ has suffered from time and neglect.
10:47Many of its parts are missing or damaged,
10:49but Burkhardt isn't giving up hope.
10:53These are the old keys.
10:56It's a modern keyboard,
10:58but these are the old parts.
11:01But on closer inspection,
11:03he makes a curious discovery.
11:07These pipes are not original.
11:11During the First World War,
11:13tin from church organs
11:14was often requisitioned for the war effort.
11:17Many were replaced by zinc,
11:20producing a duller sound.
11:22It's likely the original was never fully restored,
11:25until now.
11:27To repair, it's not impossible.
11:31It seems Burkhardt may have good news.
11:41We thought it couldn't be saved,
11:43but the specialists are saying
11:44that there is a very good chance to save the organ.
11:48We've been thinking we need to replace this organ
11:50with another organ
11:51that is in church storage at the moment.
11:54But if we could save this original organ
11:57that was built for this church,
11:59this would be such a joyous experience for us.
12:04But, as with every part of this village's revival,
12:07there is one crucial question.
12:10It comes down to budget, you know,
12:12and we need to have a look at the numbers,
12:14and then we'll know,
12:15will we be able to afford that?
12:17Will we be able to raise the funds
12:19to restore this organ
12:21to its former, original glory?
12:29Coming up, raising the roof,
12:33a Hampshire man battles
12:35to raise a derelict chateau from the ashes.
12:38The next big thing is really exciting
12:40because that's the big turret going on,
12:42and it's going to be quite a big job
12:45because it's huge.
12:46And a former truck driver hits a roadblock
12:49with her plans to resurrect
12:51one of Bulgaria's ghost villages.
12:53I don't know where I'm going to go,
12:55what I'm going to do,
12:56I have no idea.
12:57So that's why I'm planning on
12:59finding a husband or getting my visa.
13:13They say it takes a village
13:15to raise a child.
13:17And during the darkest days of World War II,
13:20one building hidden in the forests of Chamon
13:22became just that.
13:26Ninety miles east of the city of Limoges
13:28stands Chateau de Chamon.
13:30It's walls once provided sanctuary
13:33for Jewish children
13:34escaping the horrors of the Holocaust.
13:38A community thrived here,
13:40hundreds of lives saved
13:42by the kindness of strangers.
13:45Now, 80 years on,
13:47Chamon has a new guardian.
13:50Dan Preston from Hampshire,
13:52whose mission has been to restore
13:54this fire-damaged ruin
13:55to preserve its heroic past.
14:01I've worked on this place
14:03pretty much solidly every day for two years.
14:07And there are times that are harder,
14:08but there's never a day
14:09that I don't want to come in and do it.
14:11You know, the thrill of doing it
14:13and achieving it
14:14and giving it back to so many people,
14:17I think, is enough to keep that momentum going.
14:20Dan knew giving Chamon its rightful future
14:23would take more money than he had.
14:26Funding this 19th century restoration
14:28would take a 21st century solution,
14:32social media.
14:34Good morning.
14:35Well, in the spirit of things not dropping on my head
14:38and killing me,
14:38it's finally time to take down the infamous
14:43suspended toilet.
14:45He's documented every step of his journey
14:47on his online platform
14:49to keep his dream alive.
14:52Oh, my God.
14:54Hello, my old friend.
15:00The saving grace of this place
15:02is that we're not relying on creating a business
15:05or B&B or funding.
15:07We're able to use social media
15:08and gain attention,
15:09and that provides all the income we need.
15:14It's August,
15:15and since completing the chateau's final floor,
15:18the restoration is gathering momentum.
15:22Two of its roofs are now fully covered,
15:24and with a third one taking shape,
15:26this 140-year-old chateau
15:29is finally reclaiming its regal form.
15:34So we started putting roofs on
15:36at the end of last year,
15:38and it seems a quick process,
15:39but there's been a lot of work going into that.
15:41There's been loads of challenges on the way.
15:43If there's walls that need to come down,
15:45there's more reparations than we thought.
15:47So all this has just come together
15:49really in the last three or four months.
15:52With a spell of warm weather,
15:54Dan and his friends Brian and Nick
15:56are pushing ahead
15:57to make the chateau's highest roof watertight.
16:01The aim is, by the end of today,
16:03this middle section will look the same
16:05as the two sides.
16:07It will be all fully enclosed,
16:09and you'll be able to see the final roof shape,
16:11the roof shape that was there
16:12all them years ago.
16:17Though the Mansard roof
16:19originated in the Baroque period,
16:21it surged in popularity
16:22in the late 19th century,
16:24likely inspiring the chateau's first owner,
16:27opera singer Madame Bardet,
16:29who sought to bring a touch
16:30of Parisian elegance to Chemin.
16:37Replicating its trademark structure
16:39demands precision.
16:42And remarkably,
16:44like every step of this restoration,
16:46it's a skill Dan is learning on the job.
16:50When I first came to France,
16:52I don't even think I owned a drill.
16:54Like, I'd never built anything before.
16:56So every single step
16:58has been a learning curve
16:59to gain the necessary skills
17:01to complete the next stage.
17:03And I've slowly built up
17:04a little network of friends
17:05who are all passionate
17:06about the chateau as well.
17:07So there's now kind of three to four of us
17:10that come and go,
17:11and we all help in rebuilding the chateau.
17:15Now the structure is finished,
17:19the lads move on to the cladding.
17:23A job not for those
17:25with a nervous disposition.
17:27Is this another one of my
17:28don't try this at home videos?
17:30They all are.
17:32Through blistering heat,
17:34the intricate curved structure
17:36takes shape.
17:37And it's another step closer
17:39to the chateau
17:40reclaiming its place in history.
17:43We've been racing for months and months
17:45to try and get this place watertight.
17:47But we managed it.
17:49Now you can finally see
17:50the shape of the chateau back.
17:53But as ever in a project this vast,
17:56every victory is just the beginning.
18:00The next big thing is really exciting
18:02because that's the big turret going on.
18:04It's a final bit of the chateau.
18:06After that,
18:07it all looks as it did.
18:09And it's going to be quite a big job
18:11because it's huge.
18:12But once that's on,
18:14the chateau will really come alive.
18:24It's predicted that within the next 75 years,
18:27the population of Bulgaria
18:28could shrink by almost 50%.
18:31Hundreds of settlements across the country
18:34already lie uninhabited.
18:36And residents of Ores,
18:38just south of the Romanian border,
18:40fear their village could be next.
18:43Ores has a history
18:45dating back to the Roman Empire,
18:47when it was established as a trading post
18:49between Bulgaria and Romania.
18:53And while uncertainty over jobs
18:55and security in recent years
18:57has forced many locals
18:58to trade the countryside
18:59for nearby cities,
19:01Brits like Kate from Bournemouth
19:03see beauty in this area's rough edges.
19:08The lifestyle here
19:09is so much different
19:11to the lifestyle in the UK.
19:13I think people put themselves in boxes,
19:15you know?
19:16You've got to have a designer pair of shoes.
19:18You've got to have a designer bag.
19:20Like me, I don't care.
19:23Following a protracted house hunt,
19:25former truck driver Kate
19:27bought this abandoned farming estate
19:29in Ores for just 11,000 euros.
19:33Her ultimate aim
19:34is to create a wellness retreat here.
19:36But she knows that transformation
19:38won't happen overnight.
19:41This is going to be such an adventure
19:43and there's no time scale
19:45as in it has to all be completed
19:47and, you know, looking fabulous
19:49in the next six months, you know?
19:51It's an ongoing process.
19:53So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
19:59Village life began for Kate
20:00only three days ago.
20:02It's winter
20:03and with snow forecast in the coming weeks,
20:06there's a chill in the air.
20:09But one local is braving the cold
20:11to make sure that Kate receives
20:13a warm Bulgarian welcome.
20:16This is the priest from the village church
20:19who came and blessed the house for me
20:22in September
20:23and now he comes back
20:25and blesses all the houses?
20:27Yes.
20:27Blesses all the houses in the village.
20:29I think that's lovely.
20:31Oh, thank you.
20:34It's really so nice
20:36to be part of the community
20:37and to be welcomed like that.
20:40Given her current living situation,
20:43Kate could use
20:44a little divine intervention.
20:46The previous owner
20:47was in the middle
20:48of modernising the farmhouse
20:49when he decided to sell up.
20:51The house has only basic electrics
20:53and running water
20:54and isn't even connected
20:56to a main sewer.
20:59It's been strange
21:00getting used to the fact
21:02that you haven't got your showers,
21:03you haven't got your heating.
21:05So coming out in the mornings
21:07and having a wash
21:08and things like that,
21:09it's exciting,
21:10but it is different.
21:14Tradesmen are booked
21:15to fit a shower and heating system
21:17as well as a cesspit
21:18for waste water.
21:20But these upgrades
21:21will cost Kate £2,000
21:22and with funds tight,
21:24she needs to make savings elsewhere.
21:28So this is another one
21:30of my outbuildings
21:31which I'm hoping to turn
21:32into like a little bedsit
21:34for my retreat
21:36once that's up and running.
21:37This bed, however,
21:40has been left here.
21:41Well, I'm currently on an airbed
21:43that keeps going down
21:44in the middle of the night.
21:45So what I'm thinking is
21:47I'm going to hoover this mattress
21:48so that I've got a bed.
21:52To reduce her moving costs,
21:54Kate decided to sell or donate
21:56most of the furniture
21:57she owned back in the UK.
21:59Oh, I didn't realise
22:01the roof was so low.
22:03He, he, he, he.
22:05Travelling light
22:06has helped Kate maximise
22:07her restoration budget.
22:09Bit of weightlifting.
22:11But life without the bare essentials
22:13has been a shock to the system.
22:18Yeah, it's all right.
22:20Yeah, I'm looking forward to this.
22:28But a lack of home comforts
22:30isn't the only thing
22:31giving Kate sleepless nights.
22:33It's March
22:34and like many expat Brits,
22:37Kate is currently navigating
22:38the choppy waters of Brexit.
22:42Since Brexit,
22:44you can only come into Bulgaria
22:45for three months
22:46and then you have to leave
22:47for three months
22:48unless you've got your visa.
22:50So although I'm in the country,
22:51I have to leave
22:52after 90 days
22:54unless I can sort my visa,
22:56which isn't going to happen.
22:58The prospect of being
22:59a part-time village slavier
23:01never entered Kate's thoughts.
23:03Now she's working
23:04with a local advisor
23:05to secure not only
23:07her long-term future,
23:08but the future of the place
23:09she now calls home.
23:13I don't want to go back.
23:14It's that simple.
23:15I don't know where I'm going to go,
23:16what I'm going to do.
23:17I have no idea.
23:18So that's why I'm planning on
23:20finding a husband
23:21or getting my visa.
23:27Coming up...
23:28And we didn't have a flood.
23:30I'm very impressed.
23:32Well done.
23:33The breaks are on
23:34for Lolly and Sean.
23:35It's just too cold.
23:36It hasn't gone above freezing
23:38really for the last
23:38three or four days
23:39and we've got it
23:40for another two weeks.
23:42But it's full steam ahead.
23:44For Jonas and Ulrika.
23:47To see the work
23:48finally starting
23:49after all those years,
23:51that's incredibly exciting.
24:04It's March in Transylvania
24:06and a big day
24:07for Jonas and Ulrika
24:08as restoration
24:09of the village's
24:10Saxon church
24:11is officially underway.
24:14It's an absolutely
24:16beautiful morning for me
24:17because to see
24:18the work finally starting
24:20after all those years
24:21of obtaining
24:22all the necessary authorizations
24:24of, you know,
24:26obtaining the custodianship
24:27of this church
24:28and of then being able
24:30to finally get going,
24:33that's incredibly exciting.
24:36It's day one
24:38of a three-year effort
24:39to restore St. Nicholas
24:40from the ground up.
24:42Today,
24:43the 200-year-old organ
24:44is being removed
24:45to protect it
24:46from falling debris
24:47when roof repairs begin.
24:50And it's a mammoth task.
24:54We are going to start
24:55from top to bottom.
24:57First of all,
24:57gaking out the pipes.
24:59Afterwards,
25:00taking it apart
25:02from the very top.
25:04One by one,
25:06all 500 organ pipes
25:07are being carefully
25:08lifted out.
25:10Each is taken
25:11to a storeroom
25:12where restorer Burkhardt
25:14begins the painstaking work
25:15of cataloguing them
25:16and assessing
25:17what can be saved.
25:19I think this is not
25:21to repair,
25:22but this is possible.
25:25While some original parts
25:27have been lost
25:27over the years,
25:28there is hope.
25:30Thanks to an unexpected
25:31stroke of fortune.
25:37So luckily,
25:38there is another church
25:39with an organ
25:40that will not be restored,
25:42which has been built
25:43by the father
25:43of the brothers
25:44who build our organ.
25:46And the parts
25:48that are missing
25:48from our organ
25:50may be replaced
25:51by the spare parts
25:53we got from the other organ
25:55just 25 kilometers
25:57down the road.
25:59It's a remarkable discovery.
26:02The village organ
26:03was designed
26:04by the Metz brothers,
26:05members of one
26:06of the most renowned
26:07dynasties
26:07of Saxon organ builders
26:09in the 18th
26:09and 19th centuries.
26:11Their work is now
26:13considered part of Romania's
26:14cultural heritage.
26:17very few of their instruments
26:18remain,
26:19so preserving each component
26:21is vital.
26:24A day later,
26:25and despite the complexity,
26:27the team have made
26:28huge progress.
26:30It rarely happens
26:32that one can say
26:32we are ahead of schedule,
26:34but it looks
26:34like we may even be
26:37finishing off this evening
26:38rather than tomorrow,
26:40which was the original plan.
26:43Because of the organ's
26:45historical importance,
26:46every step is supervised
26:47by project manager Sebastian,
26:50a conservation officer
26:51with over 25 years' experience
26:53restoring Saxon churches.
26:58The guys are just
26:59delicately dismantling
27:00the frame of the organ,
27:02and the great thing
27:03about this,
27:04all the connections,
27:05they are not glued
27:06or screwed together,
27:07it's all just assembled
27:10manually,
27:11so that's very helpful
27:13in this case.
27:14But now the team
27:15reach the wind chest,
27:17the most crucial
27:18and vulnerable part
27:19of the instrument.
27:22It's quite heavy.
27:23It's oak,
27:24and we want to have it
27:25in one piece,
27:25not so many small ones,
27:27because if we have
27:28too many small ones
27:29then let's get
27:30something more broken.
27:33The 60-kilo wind chest
27:35contains finely crafted
27:37valves and channels,
27:39and if one part
27:40is damaged,
27:41the tuning can be thrown off
27:42and the organ left
27:43unplayable.
27:46But with the help
27:47of several villagers,
27:49the team succeed.
27:52At the moment,
27:53it's everything fun,
27:54and we had a nice
27:55manpower from the village.
27:58This moment marks
28:00just a beginning.
28:02Restoring this integral part
28:03of the village's
28:04spiritual heritage
28:05will take three years.
28:07But Jonas believes
28:08with enough support,
28:10one day,
28:10the villagers will hear
28:12their organs sing again.
28:14The moment,
28:16the estimates,
28:16it's around 30,000 euros,
28:19which I think
28:20is in a way doable.
28:22We just need many people
28:23to donate small amounts
28:24or bigger amounts,
28:25and then we'll be there soon.
28:40Physically rebuilding
28:41Europe's ghost settlements
28:42is only part of the challenge
28:44our village saviors face.
28:46Bricks and mortar
28:47may restart the pulse,
28:49but community alone
28:50provides the heartbeat.
28:53At La Galisserie,
28:55holidaymakers now come and go
28:56from Lolly and Sean's
28:58bed and breakfast.
28:59But they recently welcomed
29:00a new permanent resident,
29:02Lolly's brother, Greg.
29:05Greg swapped a chic pad
29:06in central London
29:07for a barn in rural France.
29:10Now he has his work cut out,
29:12turning this space
29:13from drab to fab.
29:16So there's two major things
29:18with the barn.
29:19There's the roof,
29:20and also as well,
29:21the closing in
29:22of these two sides.
29:23And I'm just in throes
29:25with two contractors.
29:26There was a third contractor,
29:28but they were just going
29:29to be involved with the roof.
29:30But for me,
29:31it's important to get
29:32a contractor who potentially
29:34can build the two sides.
29:36It's quite a big job.
29:37So I'm just waiting
29:38to hear back from them.
29:41At this time of the year,
29:42the main thing hindering progress
29:44is poor weather.
29:46To protect the aging stonework
29:48from further decay,
29:49Lolly and Sean need to repoint
29:51the biggest of the manoir's
29:52exterior walls.
29:54But Mother Nature
29:55has other ideas.
29:58It's just too cold.
30:00Yeah.
30:00But it hasn't gone above freezing
30:01really for the last
30:02three or four days,
30:03and we've got it
30:04for another two weeks.
30:07Luckily, their interior
30:09to-do list is equally long,
30:11and today they've decided
30:12to tackle a room
30:13that will allow them
30:14to expand their B&B offering.
30:17It's quite an intriguing
30:19part of our village, actually.
30:21This was the original
30:22part of a chapel.
30:23It was our very first
30:25bathroom that we created.
30:27But because we're creating
30:28a twin room,
30:30which is through the doorway,
30:32this is going to now
30:33be an en-suite.
30:34Yeah.
30:35The new twin room
30:36will become their third
30:38B&B suite,
30:39and you'll be hard-pushed
30:40to find another bathroom
30:42like this anywhere.
30:44This part of the building
30:45is the oldest part
30:46of the village,
30:48which is, we believe,
30:49dated back to 1480-ish.
30:53Lolly and Sean
30:54don't know precisely
30:55how the manoir evolved,
30:57but dates on the stonework
30:59indicate that this structure
31:01was built before
31:02the main house.
31:03In the 15th century,
31:05the Roman Catholic Church
31:07held immense power
31:08and influence in France.
31:11This small chapel
31:12was built to service
31:13a nearby commune,
31:14and Lolly and Sean
31:16are keen to preserve
31:16as much of the original
31:18building as possible.
31:22It's a shame
31:23because there's
31:23certain elements here
31:24that we can't restore
31:26or keep, really,
31:28because you touch it,
31:29touch any of this plasterwork,
31:31and it just crumbles.
31:33But if you look carefully
31:34up here,
31:35that's definitely part
31:36of an original crest.
31:38Quite when that was plastered
31:40and put in,
31:41we just don't know.
31:42Not all battles
31:43can be won
31:44when restoring a village,
31:45and parts of the room
31:46will need to be stripped
31:47and tiled.
31:51Gorgeous.
31:52Done.
31:53But most of the original
31:54stonework
31:55will remain exposed.
31:58And we didn't have a flood.
32:00I'm very impressed.
32:02Well done.
32:04We're getting better
32:05at this building game,
32:06darling.
32:12A few weeks later,
32:14the stonework
32:15is fully exposed,
32:16ready for the bathroom suite
32:18to be fitted.
32:20But a shift in the weather
32:21has meant a shift
32:22in priorities.
32:24Sean has returned
32:25to pointing,
32:26and Lola's continuing work
32:28on a Gabion wall
32:29that will form
32:30a new property boundary.
32:32This is my first
32:34Gabion wall.
32:35I think it's turned out
32:36all right.
32:38While some of this limestone
32:40was found scattered
32:42in the grounds,
32:43most of it
32:44was salvaged
32:45during renovation work.
32:48Loli's brother Greg
32:49is also making the most
32:51of the free building supplies.
32:52This area here
32:55is really sort of
32:56quite exposed.
32:57So I'm installing
32:59raised beds
33:02partly to sink
33:03the terrace down
33:03to make it a little bit
33:04more protected.
33:06And then I've brought in
33:07some hedging plants.
33:09And it's outside of the box
33:10thinking like this
33:11that's helping secure
33:13the future of La Gallisserie
33:14for decades to come.
33:17We hadn't tackled
33:18the jobs that we're doing.
33:20La Gallisserie
33:21might have had
33:22five, ten,
33:23twenty years
33:24before things started
33:25to fail on the back wall
33:26and fail in certain areas.
33:28So we're definitely
33:28putting our stamp on it.
33:30Yeah, you've done
33:30an amazing job
33:31and it's starting
33:32to look really lovely.
33:33Yeah.
33:34Especially on a sunny day
33:35with a glass of wine.
33:41Coming up,
33:42Kate goes back to basics.
33:44My outside toilet
33:45is literally
33:46a hole in the ground
33:47and your waste
33:49goes into the hole
33:50in the ground.
33:51And will a mechanical meltdown?
33:54Got to get all the materials
33:55up there
33:56so it's not going to be easy.
33:57Scupper Dan's efforts
33:59to make the chateau
34:00watertight.
34:01Potential disaster.
34:02The generator's just cut out
34:04which is our only source
34:05of power at the moment.
34:17In Chimont,
34:18October brings
34:19a defining change
34:20to the landscape
34:21of the area's
34:22ancient forests.
34:24For the first time
34:26in 40 years,
34:27the chateau
34:28has reclaimed
34:28its place
34:29in the skyline.
34:31After weeks
34:32of rebuilding
34:33its crumbling tower,
34:34the structure
34:35of the turret roof
34:36is in place,
34:37returning Chimont's
34:38most iconic feature.
34:41Today is a super exciting day
34:43because we're very nearly
34:44roofed the whole chateau.
34:46It's a final little bit.
34:47We've got the turret on.
34:49We've just got to put
34:49the little flare
34:50on the bottom
34:51and then the whole shape
34:52of the chateau's back.
34:53Got to get all the materials
34:54up there
34:55so it's not going to be easy.
34:58When the turret
34:58was first built,
35:00workers likely had
35:01only ropes,
35:02pulleys
35:02and brute strength
35:03to haul their materials
35:05to the top.
35:07Fortunately,
35:07Dan and his team
35:08now have the benefit
35:09of modern machinery.
35:13This will lift
35:14all the bolts
35:14to the very top
35:15where we'll be
35:16to then be able
35:17to take them off
35:17and nail them on.
35:19All they need now
35:23is some power.
35:26Oh no.
35:27Oh dear.
35:28I topped it up.
35:29Oh, it was topped up.
35:31A tensile disaster.
35:32The generator's just cut out
35:34which is our only source
35:35of power at the moment
35:36so hopefully
35:37we can get that fixed.
35:40Please don't die, generator.
35:42We really, really need you.
35:46But a village saviour's
35:48greatest asset
35:48is the ability
35:49to problem solve
35:53and a backup generator.
36:00Power restored.
36:02Get dressed again.
36:04The team are hoping
36:05it will be
36:05plain abseiling
36:07from here on in.
36:08Send them up.
36:11The first job
36:12is to finish
36:12the final cladding
36:13on the highest point
36:14of the chateau,
36:1525 metres above the ground.
36:19Just now and again
36:20you look around
36:21at where you are
36:22and realise
36:23what you're doing
36:25but there's some view
36:27up here.
36:32Before long,
36:33the last boards
36:34are in place.
36:35Are we done?
36:39and the lads
36:39can de-rig
36:40for the next stage
36:41of the turret's
36:42complex design.
36:48So far, so good.
36:50We've still got a long
36:51way to go though.
36:53Dan's attempting
36:54to recreate the turret's
36:56witch's hat canopy
36:57which defined the chateau's
36:59silhouette for nearly a century
37:00until a fire tore
37:02through the building
37:02in 1986.
37:06The previous custodian
37:07escaped by tying
37:09bedsheets together
37:10and luring herself
37:11from an upper floor window
37:13and only a handful
37:14of old photographs
37:15survived.
37:20The idea of what
37:21we're trying to do
37:22is we're going to put
37:25these little hangmen
37:27all the way around.
37:30What's going to happen
37:30is they will support
37:32this little bit of roof
37:34here so then it brings
37:35the whole shape
37:36back to how it was
37:37and that's kind of the plan
37:38so what we're trying
37:39to work out is
37:40how to get these
37:41little frames
37:42all in and all level
37:43and all nice
37:44so they can support
37:45that roof
37:45really, really well.
37:49That's the theory
37:50at least
37:51but putting it
37:52into practice
37:52is posing
37:53some challenges.
37:55Here, so we'd be
37:56of touching these
37:58first
37:59all the way along.
38:01Yeah, but if you look
38:02kind of sitting
38:03on the wall
38:03I think one's different.
38:05That's what
38:06what's the use of you.
38:08Basically, what we're
38:09trying to do
38:11is build something
38:12very precise
38:13on an old
38:14wibbly-wobbly
38:15bit of brickwork.
38:17So we're just working out
38:18by the time we get
38:19around the front
38:19we're going to be
38:20dangling on ropes
38:2120 metres above the ground
38:22so we just want to
38:24work our way out
38:24that it's easy
38:26and easy to mount
38:27and all kind of
38:28works out.
38:29The structure
38:30will bear the weight
38:31of the roof.
38:32Any mistakes
38:33could have
38:34disastrous consequences
38:35and Dan's
38:37feeling the pressure.
38:39We've got to get it right
38:39before we go around
38:40the sides anyway.
38:41Keeps saying that,
38:42doesn't he?
38:43He's got to get it right.
38:45Problem solving
38:46is a daily task
38:47for all of our village saviours
38:50and after two years
38:51of being tested
38:52by this settlement
38:52Dan has faith
38:54that where there's a will
38:55there's a way.
38:58We haven't entirely
38:59worked out
38:59how we're getting it up there.
39:01We'll see.
39:02It always works out.
39:11Given the significant
39:12strides he's made
39:13it's hard to believe
39:14that just over two years ago
39:16Dan began with ruins.
39:19And having arrived
39:20in Bulgaria
39:21only six weeks ago
39:22that's exactly
39:24where Kate finds herself.
39:26Even cooking
39:27is a back to basics affair.
39:29My first hot meal
39:31was baked beans
39:32and I'll tell you what
39:33they were the best
39:33baked beans ever.
39:35But Kate has had
39:37irons in other fires
39:38and her dilapidated home
39:40has recently taken
39:41several tentative steps
39:43into the 21st century.
39:47So what they've done
39:48is they've come in
39:49they've cleared
39:50all this area
39:51and then they've built
39:53a nice big cesspit for me.
39:55So all the waste water
39:57from shower,
39:58sink, toilet
39:58will then come back
40:00out through the barn
40:02straight down
40:03into my cesspit.
40:05Cesspits were introduced
40:07to Europe
40:07in the 16th century
40:08and are still used
40:10in areas like this
40:11where main sewers
40:12are unavailable.
40:13and as far as Kate's concerned
40:15it's a big upgrade.
40:19There was nothing here
40:20so basically what happens
40:21is my outside toilet
40:23which I've still got here
40:24is literally a hole
40:26in the ground
40:26and your waste
40:28goes into the hole
40:29in the ground.
40:31Local trades
40:32have also been busy
40:33inside the main farmhouse.
40:35So we've had
40:37the plumbing put in
40:39or the pipework
40:40put in
40:41for a shower,
40:42toilet
40:43and sink.
40:44I'm washing my hair
40:45in a bucket
40:46at the moment
40:47using pots and pans
40:48so to have
40:49a working shower
40:51is going to be a dream.
40:52That first shower
40:53is going to be gorgeous.
40:55A century ago
40:57when this estate was built
40:58this one acre plot
40:59would have fully sustained
41:01an entire family.
41:03Now Kate's looking
41:04to past dwellers
41:05to guide the way
41:06to a sustainable future.
41:09This is so lovely now
41:11because all of this
41:12was overgrown.
41:14I couldn't really
41:14get up the path.
41:15You couldn't really
41:16see the path
41:16to be honest.
41:17And to have it
41:18all clear now
41:19is lovely.
41:21This side
41:22I'm thinking
41:23of getting it
41:24rotavated
41:25and then there's
41:26going to be veg there.
41:27I can pretty much
41:28live off the land.
41:29You know,
41:29I'm already getting
41:30eggs from the neighbour.
41:31It's really
41:32just basics.
41:34It's going back
41:34to basics.
41:38Many would crumble
41:39living in such
41:40Spartan conditions
41:41but Kate is thriving.
41:47buying into a ghost village
41:49is not for the faint of heart.
41:51When she chose
41:52to move here
41:53Kate bet her future
41:54on a spin of the roulette wheel
41:56gambling her financial security
41:58in an attempt
41:59to build a better future
42:01for herself
42:01and for this
42:03forgotten corner
42:04of Europe.
42:06Money wise
42:07I am literally
42:09now down to
42:10not a lot
42:12and I mean
42:12you know
42:13under £3,000.
42:15However
42:17I've done the main jobs
42:18that I wanted to do
42:19my end goal
42:21I see it
42:22I know what it's going to be
42:23and I'm working
42:25towards that.
42:2812 years ago
42:29Kate's world
42:30fell apart
42:31when she lost
42:32her husband
42:32Daryl.
42:33Since then
42:34she's been
42:35rebuilding her life
42:36brick by brick
42:37and now
42:38she's finally
42:39found a place
42:40that will become
42:40a refuge
42:41for herself
42:42and others
42:43seeking peace
42:44hope
42:44and recovery.
42:48The long term
42:49plan
42:50for this village
42:51was always
42:52in my husband's
42:53memory
42:53to run
42:54a little retreat
42:55for people
42:56to come over
42:57if they've
42:57you know
42:58if they've got
42:58a few issues
42:59if they want
42:59a bit of peace
43:00and quiet
43:01if they want
43:01to see
43:02how it is
43:03to be on the
43:04other side
43:05of the rat race
43:06and the madness
43:07of what is
43:08you know
43:08our lives
43:09so yeah
43:10my plans
43:11haven't changed.
43:14For now
43:15her long term future
43:16is shrouded
43:17in uncertainty
43:19Kate has yet
43:19to secure
43:20a work visa
43:21meaning she'll
43:22return to the
43:23UK six weeks
43:24from now
43:24unable to come
43:25back for another
43:26three months
43:28but they say
43:29home is where
43:30the heart is
43:31and though the
43:32start of her
43:32journey as a
43:33village saviour
43:34may see her
43:34hopping between
43:35countries
43:36it's clear her
43:37heart is staying
43:39here in Oresh
43:42when you go
43:42when you go
43:43through the village
43:43it's sad
43:44that so many
43:45properties
43:46are just
43:47falling down
43:48and are left
43:49it has to go
43:50back
43:51to how it was
43:52it has to be
43:53lived on
43:53you know
43:55I've been here
43:56six weeks
43:56and I have
43:57loved every
43:58single minute
43:59second of it
44:01it absolutely
44:02110%
44:03feels like home
44:04I don't think
44:05about the UK
44:06at all
44:07I don't sit here
44:08and go
44:08oh my god
44:09I miss this
44:10and I miss that
44:10I miss nothing
44:12it's like it's
44:13always meant
44:13to have been home
44:14it's like I was
44:15meant to be here
44:25next time
44:26oh I can feel
44:27a swim coming on
44:29Lolly and Sean
44:30dig deep
44:31we've had so much
44:32work to get to
44:33this point
44:33you know
44:34three years
44:34of just
44:35building
44:36and this is
44:37kind of the
44:37finale really
44:38teamwork
44:39makes the dream
44:41work for Dan
44:42I'm surprised
44:43at how many
44:43other people
44:44have got on board
44:44and have shared
44:45this dream
44:46with me
44:46and amazing
44:48discoveries in
44:49Transylvania
44:50for Jonas
44:50and Ulrika
44:51so obviously
44:53everybody is very
44:54excited today
44:54to see how we
44:55can restore this
44:56bring it back
44:57to life
45:26so this dream
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