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help we bought a village s04e30 skyfire
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00:01Buying a home abroad is a big step to take.
00:04This is my piece of heaven now.
00:07But imagine taking that to a whole new level.
00:10I'm down! Amazing.
00:13The ghost villages of Europe are crying out for help.
00:17It's a slot battle of the Somme, innit?
00:19And a strong-willed few have answered their calls.
00:23Our whole world, our whole life and belongings are now in Ichaka.
00:27In this series...
00:29There's a real sense of history and you can feel it.
00:32We rediscover the settlement's time left behind.
00:36Like ten people living in the whole of Rabatana now.
00:39Where once it would have been thriving with schools and shops.
00:43And meet the intrepid Brits.
00:45Trying to get this board in the hole without falling through.
00:49Who are trying to save them.
00:51It is more tricky than you imagine.
00:55But can they turn these crumbling villages?
00:58This is going to be a big crash.
01:02Into beautiful homes.
01:04This is no longer a ruin.
01:06It is now a chateau.
01:08And successful businesses.
01:09One are gorgeous.
01:13Or will it all prove to be...
01:15That was a close shave.
01:16...beyond their grasp.
01:18As it stands at the moment, in two years' time it might collapse.
01:21As they restore the past to build their future.
01:25A village has come back to life and that's exactly what we set out to do.
01:35Today in central France...
01:38Oh, I can feel a swim coming on.
01:40A Sussex couple dig deep as they unlock their village's money making potential.
01:46It's been one of those dreams, hasn't it?
01:48We've had so much work to get to this point.
01:50You know, three years of just building.
01:53And this is kind of the finale, really.
01:55And teamwork makes the dream work.
01:58I think it's going to be mostly out of the window, to be honest.
02:00As an army of workers mobilizes to restore a fire-damaged chateau.
02:06I'm surprised at how many other people have got on board and have shared this dream with me.
02:11You know, and people who work here now, who are as passionate about it as I am.
02:16And amazing discoveries in Transylvania.
02:19It stays from 1532.
02:22It's always amazing when you find something like this.
02:25What, it's mostly 500 years old.
02:28As two village saviors look to resurrect one of Romania's oldest Saxon-era churches.
02:35So obviously everybody is very excited today to see how we can restore this, bring it back to life.
02:54In the heart of the Vienne department in central France, 15 generations of farmers cultivated the land and tended to
03:02their herds.
03:04Over five centuries, these industrious settlers lived through feast and famine, war and plague.
03:11Until industrialization ultimately signed to the death knell for the village of La Gallisserie.
03:20Now, decades after this settlement was left to rot, it's been born again as a holiday village.
03:26Thanks to the passion and dedication of Brits Lolly and Sean.
03:33This is a crucial time for La Gallisserie because you drive through France, there's a lot of properties that are
03:40just being left just to fall apart.
03:43So, it was getting to that point.
03:46Yeah, it's, um, I think we came here at the nick of time really.
03:50Yeah.
03:52Since buying the village three years ago, Lolly and Sean have made deceptively light work of gutting the manoir to
03:59create both a home and a bed and breakfast business.
04:03And with the aim of launching yoga retreats this year, two former feed stores have been converted into a yoga
04:10studio and a holiday let.
04:14And as the couple prepare for a busy summer, entertaining holidaymakers, the village has another permanent resident, Lolly's brother, Greg,
04:23who's working to create a home in this former warehouse.
04:28He's going to be investing some of his money in this property.
04:32And yeah, he's going to be our head gardener, which is epic for us because what he doesn't know about
04:38plants is not really worth knowing.
04:41So, yeah, very exciting times ahead, really.
04:49It's March, and as the landscape and wildlife awake from their winter slumber, the grounds of La Galisserie are also
04:57a hive of activity.
05:00Today, the seam of limestone rich soil that carries the weight of the village is making way for a contemporary
05:06addition, a swimming pool.
05:10It's been one of those dreams, hasn't it?
05:12It's been in the planning for, since we got here, we always knew that we were going to have, hopefully,
05:17have a pool.
05:18And we've had so much work to get to this point, you know, three years of just building.
05:23And this is kind of the finale, really.
05:26If we'd had it built or put in the first year, I don't think we'd be as far forward as
05:30we are, to be fair.
05:32I figured I'd have found you going, champagne in the pool, please.
05:35Yeah.
05:36The nine-by-four-metre pool is being prefabricated off-site, and with a specialist team at the helm, it
05:43should be in the ground within 48 hours.
05:47He's doing his dig now, prepping for the pool to be inserted tomorrow.
05:52He's got to then put all his gravel footings in and do all the trenches for the pipe work.
05:57He's making light work of it in that machine, I've got to say.
06:01But elsewhere in the village, there's been a challenging lack of progress.
06:08This old warehouse is set to become Greg's forever home.
06:12But it's taken him two months to find specialist tradesmen capable of making this wreck watertight.
06:20As you know, most of these buildings were agricultural buildings.
06:23So, because they're agricultural buildings, they're not fit for purpose in relationship to people living.
06:28The roof, for instance, isn't fit for purpose, because it hasn't got any insulation.
06:32But the nice thing now is, I've got pretty much all the trades in tow.
06:37This is specialist stuff, so I would rather get somebody in to do that, rather than making a complete cock
06:43-up of it myself.
06:45But the pause in putting a roof over Greg's head has served up a problem.
06:49For three months, he's been living in Lolly and Sean's sheet.
06:53But with accommodation bookings flooding in for spring and summer, Greg is on the move.
07:01Today's Thursday, we've got guests coming in a couple of days.
07:04So we vacated him yesterday, and we've just been clearing the rest of his stuff out.
07:08And he's going to be in a small B&B room for a couple of weeks.
07:11I feel like we're at that point where the sheet is finally ready for our season.
07:19And it's at a point where I'm really happy with it as well.
07:23Three years ago, it was hard to see the buildings of La Gelisserie for the weeds.
07:28But now, its rebirth as a holiday village is tantalisingly close.
07:33The pool is arriving tomorrow.
07:36Oh, I can feel a swim coming on.
07:46Some of Europe's ghost villages are quietly coming back to life one building at a time.
07:53But in Transylvania, the village of Kund has been undergoing an inspiring transformation for over two decades.
08:03Once a thriving Saxon community, its streets were shaped by centuries of German-speaking settlers.
08:10Until the fall of communism saw most of them leave.
08:17But Jonas and Ulricha saw a place not to forget, but to bring back to life.
08:26For us, it was very scary to see in Romania so many empty villages.
08:32So our work, so the project is very important.
08:36I think this village has possibly seen an investment of more than three million in the last 20 years
08:44in its infrastructure and restoration and preservation.
08:51Thanks to their efforts, the village is now a thriving tourist destination.
08:57Ancient Saxon homes have become guest houses.
09:00And their fine dining restaurant and luxury retreat draw visitors from across the world.
09:07It's not only keeping the village alive, it's helping preserve a vital chapter of Romania's heritage.
09:15It would be so easy.
09:17And cheaper.
09:18And cheaper.
09:19To build from scratch, to do new buildings.
09:23But for us, it's a matter of the heart, preserving what makes this community so special to us.
09:32This year, they've embarked on their most ambitious project yet.
09:36But for us, it's a very important part, restoring the village's 14th century fortified church.
09:42It's February.
09:44And keen to uncover the building's forgotten stories, Jonas and Ulricha have travelled to Sibiu,
09:50the cultural heart of Saxon Transylvania.
09:54For me, a very important part of the new church will be our little village museum.
10:01So we are meeting here at the Torch Archive, our project manager,
10:07and we will have a look together at the history of our village.
10:13The Transylvanian Saxons were organised communities and prolific record keepers.
10:21Many of these records are preserved here, in the state archives.
10:26And their project manager, and Saxon historian Sebastian,
10:31has already found documents that speak directly to their village's past.
10:37So what we are researching here are documents related only to our church in Kund.
10:43So it's a ledger from 1846, which details all the possessions of the church.
10:50And interesting for us, we found that the school building had several different plots.
10:55We only know one plot, so it's interesting.
10:58We're going to have to go into more detail at this one to find out more about this.
11:03Each document is a clue to what life would have looked like in the 1800s
11:08for this unique group of German settlers.
11:12In Saxon villages, all children received an education through the Lutheran Church
11:18and were among the first in Europe to introduce compulsory schooling.
11:23But this closed community preserved their heritage through strict social boundaries.
11:30The diary of a priest, here is a rule from 1859, how to deal with mixed marriage.
11:41So I think in our village, we are talking mainly about Saxon and Hungarian marriage.
11:48Romanian was impossible.
11:51For me, it's really interesting.
11:54And the detailed inventory of church possessions dates back even further in time.
12:01This ledger also mentions a Bible from 1633, which we don't know where it is.
12:07It could be in the State Archive or perhaps somewhere in the village.
12:12Something to explore when we come back.
12:15This 400-year-old Bible is a rare piece of Saxon spiritual heritage, and it could still be hidden somewhere
12:22in their village.
12:26After two decades, Jonas and Ulrika are still uncovering the secrets of this unique community, and perhaps his past has
12:35more to give.
12:41Coming up, two volunteers get more than they bargained for.
12:45It would be a hammer either side job.
12:47As they join the fight to restore a fire-damaged chateau roof.
12:52Nick and Brian have got an abseil over the front of the chateau. It's a little bit sketchy.
12:58And Jonas and Ulrika go on a voyage of discovery.
13:03We're very happy to have uncovered this, and this is a really great find for today.
13:18For many village saviors, the reason for taking on such monumental challenges goes far beyond building a business or dream
13:25home.
13:26In central France lies the settlement of Choumont. At its heart, a fire-damaged chateau, which holds the story of
13:35a community so courageous that Dan Preston has spent the last two years saving it from oblivion.
13:44During the war, it was host to Jewish refugee children around France and different areas.
13:51And about a thousand children passed through the gates of Choumont and were given refuge and schooling and food and
13:58a safe place to hide.
14:01Everyone that was involved in the chateau that helped people, their story is immortalized with the renovation.
14:11Dan is funding this extraordinary project by sharing every step of his journey on social media.
14:18With the hope that one day, Choumont won't just be a home, but will echo once again with the sound
14:24of children.
14:27So the main plan has always been that we're going to host children here.
14:31We're going to work with children's charities and host these kind of, I don't know, events or workshops for them
14:37to create these spaces that are going to allow people to really use the chateau.
14:43It's October. Dan is about to reach another milestone.
14:49The turret canopy, once the proud crown of the chateau, is finally being rebuilt.
14:56So we're basically creating a little canopy here.
14:59There'll be a wooden frame which holds the rest of the roof, so the roof will flare out and create
15:04like a little canopy around the bottom of it.
15:06That's in theory. It's exactly how it was when it was built.
15:11Old photographs are Dan's only guide for reconstructing the turret's intricate design.
15:18It's been a head-scratcher for Dan, but after building a scale model in his workshop, today, the full-sized
15:24version is going into action.
15:28Basically, we're just trying to work out, we've got to put this plate on the wall.
15:31I'm trying to work out how high we need to do it.
15:34And the same with all the roofs, we break it down into little triangles, and then when we start working
15:39out all the angles, it gives us magically all the other measurements.
15:43What it does mean is that Nick and Brian have got our abseil over the front of the chateau and
15:49be drilling bits of wood into there, so it's a little bit sketchy.
15:56With the team relatively confident, the first task is to install timbers around the tower to create a base for
16:03the canopy frame.
16:07I think it's going to be mostly out of the window, to be honest.
16:11Eventually, this structure will support the full weight of a tiled roof, so even the slightest error could throw the
16:17whole thing off.
16:19It'll just be a hammer either side job on the level.
16:25It's crucial the timbers are perfectly level.
16:29Let's see, 20, 15, stop, 10.
16:33And 25 metres above ground level, that's no mean feat.
16:37Perfect!
16:39Yes, I just came down here to get kind of a full view of it, to make sure it's all
16:44going right.
16:44And so far, so good.
16:46It's not easy, obviously, with them guys on ropes, lowering wood down to them.
16:51This is one of the hardest bits done.
16:53Once the rest of the timbers are in place,
16:57the team begin to assemble the wooden turret frame.
17:07And over the next few days, Dan's innovative structure becomes stronger,
17:12and Chaumont's original silhouette begins to take shape.
17:18The new structure remains faithful to Chaumont's original elaborate facade,
17:23designed in the ornate Second Empire style,
17:27which embraced the opulence of the late 19th century.
17:30And with every nail and timber, that long-lost splendour begins to return.
17:37It's something else.
17:39It's always like, we know what we're trying to achieve, we've seen the photo,
17:43but, you know, when it all starts coming together,
17:46it's just so surprising, the dramatic difference that takes place.
17:50There's still a little bit to go on the bracing,
17:53but every brace we add is strengthening it all.
17:58Now, the race is on to finish before winter sets in,
18:02to seal and protect what's been so carefully brought back.
18:06But day by day, beam by beam,
18:09Chaumont is rising from the ashes.
18:19Back in Transylvania, it's March.
18:22And Jonas and Ulrica continue their mission to uncover the secrets of their 14th century church.
18:30Four weeks ago, they discovered an inventory of the church's possessions in the state archives.
18:37Today, along with their project manager, Sebastian, they're searching properties in the village in the hope of unearthing some of
18:44those lost Saxon relics.
18:48This is an old Saxon house in here, which is out of use and just being used for storage.
18:53The idea was to have a look if we find still something church related in here as well.
18:59When the Gothic ceiling of their abandoned church began to deteriorate 12 years ago,
19:05villagers rallied to protect its most precious items.
19:09Only, unlike the organised Saxon communities before them, they didn't make an inventory.
19:16As people had such close relationship to the church as a place of worship,
19:22everybody felt responsible and this means we can find stuff in many different places.
19:28One such caretaker is Istvan, the local cheesemaker.
19:33That's the stock guy.
19:35Born and raised in Kund and baptised in the church when it was still the beating heart of the village.
19:40And he's been looking after a piece close to his own heart.
19:46Ishti is the custodian of this baptism font, which is not 100% intact, but I think Sebastian can still
19:55be restored.
19:56The actual reservoir for the water which was used to baptise children is in Tsikishwara in the main church,
20:04because it's quite valuable. It's made of some precious metals.
20:06And so we're very happy to have uncovered this and this is a really great find for today.
20:14For 200 years, thousands of newborns were formally welcomed into the village fold using water drawn from this oak carved
20:22font.
20:23And it's Jonas and Ulrike's hope that it will be used to wet the heads of future generations of villagers.
20:31To be able to have proper services again, I don't think we can even estimate what it means to them.
20:41But as the search draws to a close, it's in Jonas' own carpentry workshop where a remarkable discovery is made.
20:49An altar pew crown, dating back to the 16th century.
20:56We have a really great thing. It stays from 1532. It's a mark in this and it's also like a
21:04kind of wood carving with this ornament of teeth.
21:08And this was a crown who actually on the top, was on the top of it.
21:14In the 1500s, this hand-carved crown would have sat atop the pew in the altar room.
21:21A seat reserved for the most honoured members of the Saxon community.
21:26It's a valuable insight into Saxon spiritual culture and an exceptionally rare find.
21:35It's very seldom that we find it, generally in Europe.
21:39Here in Romania we find from time to time this kind of pieces, but always amazing when you find something
21:45like this,
21:46what it's mostly 500 years old.
21:48If Jonas hadn't salvaged it, this crown could have been lost forever.
21:53But saving it now may be Sebastian's greatest challenge.
21:57It's a very bad shape. It's quite broken.
22:01But we have few pieces, so we theoretically could reconstruct it.
22:04A lot of things are missing, but it's important to preserve it and to conserve it.
22:11If those missing pieces can be found, this ancient relic might stand a chance of being brought back to life.
22:22Coming up, a giant move...
22:24Oh, my gosh. It's going to slow the whole village down now.
22:27...raises the stress levels at La Galisserie.
22:30Feeling the pressure of these poor guys that have got to manoeuvre this.
22:35It's a lot of responsibility.
22:37And there's Hollywood-level drama for Dan in Chamon.
22:42Just like when Tom Cruise abseiled in for the Olympics.
22:58It's a misty March morning in central France.
23:01But today, Lolly and Sean's vision for La Galisserie as a desirable holiday destination has come firmly into focus.
23:10Today's going to be crazy to see a swimming pool in the ground.
23:13I think the pool is going to arrive in the next hour.
23:17So everyone's on high alert and the guys are rushing around trying to get the sub-base ready for the
23:22pool to come in.
23:24At a cost of 85,000 euros, the below-ground pool didn't come cheap.
23:30But Lolly and Sean are convinced that high-end amenities like this will boost accommodation bookings now and well into
23:36the future.
23:39This is where the pool house is going to be.
23:40It's an area that we weren't really sure what we were going to do with anyway, so it kind of
23:44really suits to have the pool house here.
23:46So the pump, the electrics and everything will go there.
23:50The pool has been prefabricated off-site and is being delivered today on the back of a lorry.
23:57Oh my gosh.
23:58It's going to slow the whole village down now.
24:00And we've got lots of people coming to stay with us this year, lots of guests coming.
24:05Even the ones renting our jeep next week, they've already said, is it going to be ready for them to
24:09swim in?
24:09And then we were like, no.
24:10Well, they can.
24:14Getting to the front gate was easy, but the other side of the village can only be accessed by a
24:20narrow lane.
24:21But winching the 36-cubit metre pool into position will require nerves of steel.
24:27Feeling the pressure, these poor guys that have got to manoeuvre this, it's a lot of responsibility, isn't it?
24:38Metre by metre, the pool is navigated across the village.
24:43The building crew only arrived an hour ago and their swift progress has stopped Sean in his tracks.
24:51You're watching the pool coming in and then you realise they've dug a trench.
24:56They're starting to get all the pipes ready to run through.
24:59They've got electrical cable that's going to be pulled through as well.
25:03So they're a super team.
25:06That's cool.
25:07I know.
25:08Oof, where does that come from?
25:11Progress is rarely this rapid for Lolly and Sean.
25:14But as the pool sinks into the ground, Lolly's worried they may yet be tripped up by red tape.
25:21You know, with the planning?
25:23Yes.
25:24With the French planning?
25:27Planning regulations dictate that the pool must be five metres away from the house.
25:31So we have 5'20".
25:34Yeah.
25:35But a quick measurement finds it 20 centimetres further away than planned.
25:40Sank.
25:41Yes, but minimum from the house.
25:43So you have 5'20".
25:45So we have to check.
25:48It's 5'20".
25:49It's 5'20".
25:50The ladies ask me if that's okay and I'm like, is that okay with planning?
25:53Because they were quite specific.
25:55So the owner's daughter is now phoning the planning department just to ask the question.
26:01We don't mind it being 5'20".
26:02We just don't want someone to come out and measure it one day and go, it's wrong.
26:07But the team are quickly given the green light and can begin to fill the sides and fit the pipework.
26:16With the pool installed in safe hands, Lolly and Sean slip away to finish the last item on their gite
26:22snagging list, ahead of this weekend's arrivals.
26:26We've been waiting on this extractor hood for the induction.
26:31So that's here finally.
26:33Yeah, these sort of things are quite simple to do.
26:35I feel, yeah, I feel a bit organised and a bit calm.
26:43Lolly and Sean have every reason to feel at ease.
26:47After all, it's not every day that you become the proud owner of a swimming pool.
26:54And with accommodation bookings for this summer exceeding their wildest dreams,
26:58these village saviours have plenty to be cheerful about.
27:04Guess what we did today?
27:06What did we do?
27:07Put a pool in.
27:08Just dropped in.
27:10We were like, what should we do today? Oh, we just dropped a pool in.
27:14Great team. Really great team. And, um, yeah, we've got a swimming pool.
27:19Wicked.
27:26140 miles away in Chamon, it's November.
27:31And Dan and his team are racing to get the roofs of the Chateau watertight in time for winter.
27:41So because we've already got the structure up, we've basically got to drape over these tarps,
27:46just to stop water coming in and get everything waterproof.
27:49The difficult thing about this whole project is we haven't got a huge scaffolding around the building,
27:54so everything we're doing is from ropes and harnesses, which makes everything that much more difficult.
27:59Obviously, the weather's not too bad at the moment, but if the wind or the rain picks up,
28:04we're holding these big sails up in the air.
28:06So if it does pick up, we're going to have to stop.
28:09A lot of people look at the stuff we do around here and they think us swinging off the rope,
28:14off ropes on the roof is really dangerous, but it's probably one of the safest things we do, actually,
28:18because it's everything we're wearing and using is designed to keep us safe.
28:23Brian, Nick and Dan are starting with the highest point of the Chateau, the turret roof.
28:31This waterproof membrane will hopefully shield the structure from the elements until it's reslated in the spring.
28:37And for once, the weather is not conspiring against them.
28:43You know what, actually, it's one of them jobs, weirdly, that went better than we expected it to go.
28:48It's a little bit awkward, but not windy, not raining.
28:53Well, because we got that done so quickly, we can actually now do the next roof, we've got time.
28:58So that puts nearly the whole building waterproof for winter, which is really cool.
29:04But the next roof is a little less straightforward.
29:07Right, so what can I stand on?
29:09Not that. Not that. That.
29:11Just stretch as far as you can.
29:15And calls for an inventive rig, courtesy of former tree surgeon Nick.
29:21Just like when Tom Cruise abseiled in for the Olympics, this.
29:26That's just what it was reminding me of, yeah.
29:29Just less finesse.
29:31But once again, they're soon making swift progress.
29:35How's that?
29:37Good.
29:39The restoration of Chamon began as a solitary journey for this village saviour.
29:45God, I hope this is waterproof.
29:47But this year, it's teamwork which has helped him reach new heights.
29:54I'm surprised at how many other people have got on board and have shared this dream with me, you know.
29:59And people who work here now, who are as passionate about it as I am.
30:03That really surprised me that everyone else bought into the view, you know.
30:08And in the weeks that follow, that commitment pays off, pushing the restoration to a remarkable milestone.
30:18Everything's hard to envision when it's all kind of on paper, but when it comes together, it looks so different.
30:26But the main thing is, for the first ever time in over 40 years, Chaumont has no water coming in
30:37it.
30:37It's all completely inside now.
30:42It's taken 12 months of dedication, which has seen Dan and his team battle every element.
30:54And already the transformation is breathtaking.
30:59I think the biggest achievement has got to be the roof.
31:03Not only have we replicated it how it was, I've also done all the calculations myself.
31:08And we actually got the thing up there was a big challenge.
31:12So getting that roof on has been the most prominent part of the project.
31:18But this is only the beginning.
31:20Now the building is watertight, the real work can begin inside.
31:25Restoring this sleeping giant from the ground up.
31:28And with it, a whole new challenge for Dan.
31:33At times, this project is super draining, but I never dread coming into work any one day.
31:40I always come with excitement and want to do the next stage, you know.
31:44Every single day I want to be here because the progress is just so fast now.
31:49It's really, really pleasing to see every day.
31:53Chaumont is well on its way to salvation thanks to one man who dared to believe it was possible.
32:00Who dared to believe a place that once protected so many lives deserved to stand with pride again.
32:08I didn't start it because I wanted this big fancy house, you know.
32:12I started it because I wanted kind of the adventure of doing it.
32:17I wanted the purpose of doing it as well.
32:20You know, what's important for me is that the chateau lives on.
32:23It's about reclaiming the purpose the chateau had back then and using it again for the same thing.
32:36Coming up.
32:38Another one.
32:41Jonas's historical salvage mission reaps more rewards in Transylvania.
32:47Every little item tells its own story and gives us more insight in how life was here 750 years ago.
32:56And Lolly and Sean celebrate...
33:00Oh, he's in as well.
33:01..three years of restoration landmarks.
33:05Pinch ourselves that actually we've been here for three years
33:08because in some moments it feels like we've been here five minutes.
33:22Back in Romania, Jonas is still taking in the discovery of a crown of a rare 16th century pew
33:29that's been hiding in plain sight in his carpentry workshop.
33:34We were not aware of the significance of the age and historic value of this crown until now.
33:42So obviously everybody is very excited today to see how we can restore this head crown, bring it back to
33:48life.
33:50Hopefully the village still holds the missing pieces of this ancient relic.
33:54And Sebastian's on a mission to find them, leaving no stone unturned.
34:00So we're on a journey of discovery.
34:02Twelve years ago we stored some benches in here.
34:06And now it's going to be interesting what's left of them.
34:09So this is the old school building.
34:12But it all looks relatively good.
34:14What do you say?
34:15What do you say?
34:18But with no sign of missing fragments from the pew crown, the hunt continues.
34:24As Jonas and Ulrike ask around the village, Sebastian returns to the altar room where the pew once stood.
34:33We know where it was standing. It was standing on this wall.
34:36You can see even the shape from the wall.
34:40You see where the color is different.
34:43So it was like this whole part was it.
34:47The historian is determined to find some clues hidden within the walls.
34:52And after digging a little deeper.
34:55Yeah, this is amazing.
34:58History begins to reveal itself.
35:04Another one.
35:06Buried under the rubble for decades, the missing pieces of this sacred puzzle.
35:13So this is the corner part.
35:16So we had this front part, this long one with the inscription.
35:20One side we had and this is the other side.
35:23Suddenly the restoration of this church's crowning glory feels within reach.
35:31Probably to restore the whole part, it's not possible.
35:33But at least for exhibition of a museum, we can restore the corona, the coronament.
35:41It's amazing news for Jonas and Ulrike.
35:45How cool!
35:47The upper part.
35:48The upper part.
35:49The one that we have seen.
35:51We have found it here.
35:54And this is the other side.
35:55The other side that is placed here.
35:58Not only could this be a focal point of the church museum,
36:02it will give Sebastian's restoration team a powerful guide of what's still to come.
36:11Every little item tells its own story and it's exciting for us to see that these little items connecting leads
36:21to a storyline and gives us more insight in how life was here 750 years ago.
36:32This is just the beginning of a new chapter for this incredible building.
36:37Jonas and Ulrike have big dreams that one day it will become Romania's first inter-religious place of worship.
36:45And with their conservation team now on board and the support of the whole village, that dream is closer than
36:52ever.
36:54So I look very much forward to see historians to come, so we will have diggings in and around the
37:03church.
37:03And I am so optimistic that we maybe find something interesting.
37:09Then I hope until the end of this year we will manage to get all the authorizations needed and construction
37:20would start.
37:25One day the church will rise again, not just as a monument to the past, but as a symbol of
37:32hope for this community.
37:35Three decades after Romania turned its back on communism, Jonas and Ulrike have helped this village look forward.
37:43Their hospitality business has brought jobs, pride and purpose and put this once forgotten village back on the map.
37:52And now, with their cookery school nearing completion, it's clear their vision for Kund is ever evolving and their work
38:01is far from finished.
38:03One of the main challenges we have in our day-to-day lives is juggling the balls, keeping them in
38:09the air, all of them.
38:10And sometimes the load feels heavy on one's shoulders.
38:13But for us and for the village to grow and thrive, we've never doubted that it's worthwhile.
38:23And I think we've still got a lot to give and still have a lot to contribute and I just
38:28fear sometimes that one lifetime is not enough.
38:42Back in Lagalisserie, it's late April and Loddy and Sean are fast becoming victims of their own success.
38:51Their holiday accommodation has experienced a spring surge, but work to finish their swimming pool is still ongoing.
38:59We seem to be a local builder centre most of the time at the moment, in between guests, so as
39:03soon as guests come, everything gets cleared and we're immaculate as we possibly can be.
39:08And then we had guests leave on Friday, so we had a massive delivery of bags of sand and stuff
39:14like that and cement ready to do the pool walls and stuff.
39:16And again, we've got guests here Sunday and this will all be cleared.
39:21Balancing building work with guest stays is the ultimate test of Loddy and Sean's hospitality skills.
39:28But the juggling act is softened by the prospect of a finished swimming pool that'll become the centrepiece of their
39:35holiday village.
39:38For that view.
39:40So this will be our walk through here, so we'll have stepping stones and baby sand here, won't we?
39:45Yeah.
39:45Going through.
39:47So Charlie is my son and he's just been amazing, you know, we call on him when he's not working
39:53back in the UK.
39:54He's a great general builder, so he is now doing the pool terrace.
39:58So footings have gone in all around the walls, the side of the pool, the raised beds.
40:05And then as you can see, this one here is going to stay that height because this is where the
40:10sun sets and it's phenomenal.
40:14Loddy and Sean want to make it easy for both their Gitte and B&B guests to access the rear
40:19gardens.
40:20So under the guidance of an expert stonemason, Sean has been busy elsewhere.
40:27So, yeah, we wanted to have a flow from the cocktail lounge to come out to people to play Bretonk
40:33and then go around and then go for a dip in the pool.
40:36So we opened this all up on Friday with a lot of acros and even acros up in the top
40:41floor.
40:43Accommodation bookings for this year are up nearly 50% on last year.
40:47Keen to make hay while the sun shines, the couple recently decided to sacrifice part of their own home to
40:54expand their B&B offering.
40:58This is our new B&B room, twin sharing.
41:02And although we had set this up the last couple of Christmases as a snug, it's not going to be
41:08our snug going forwards.
41:09It's kind of demand really, which is why we decided to create it.
41:13We take our time really thinking of certain things and it's absolutely right to be a little twin bedroom.
41:19So, yeah, it's exciting.
41:24La Gallisserie may now boast the very best in 21st century luxury, but Lolly and Sean never turn their backs
41:31on the village's past.
41:34At every turn, high-end contemporary design lives hand in hand with centuries-old architecture.
41:43Almost as if the village itself has opened its arms and embraced its new future.
41:51Oh, he's in as well.
41:53Woo, nice and refreshing!
41:56It's a bit crazy that we've got a swimming pool.
42:01We have owned the village just over three years.
42:05It's been great. The whole process has been fantastic.
42:07Pinch ourselves that actually we've been here for three years,
42:11because in some moments it feels like we've been here five minutes.
42:18The village's rags-to-riches revival is jaw-dropping.
42:22In just 36 months, the derelict manoir has become a stylish home and thriving bed and breakfast business.
42:34A former hay barn has been transformed into a holiday cottage.
42:39And the couple even found time to create a calming corner where Lolly can practice her yoga.
42:47It's been a hugely successful three years that we've been here.
42:52Not only just on the development side, but obviously we've opened up the doors on the business side
42:57to lots of just genuinely lovely guests.
43:01We've even got a lot coming back, you know, repeat business.
43:04So we must be doing something right.
43:08This spring, work will commence to create a second home in the village,
43:12where Lolly's brother Greg will enjoy his retirement.
43:16And now, Lolly has her eye on converting the last of their barns into more holiday accommodation.
43:23Well, someone keeps coming up with plans.
43:26I've got an idea someone keeps telling me, so...
43:28No, no, no. The village keeps talking to me.
43:30Oh, is that what it is?
43:31The barn is neglected and hasn't been zhuzhed.
43:35It's talking to me and it wants to be zhuzhed.
43:39Like all of our village saviours, by embracing and preserving the past,
43:44Lolly and Sean have created a sustainable future for themselves and their family.
43:48Here, in this once forgotten corner of rural France.
43:58Best job ever, isn't it?
43:59It is the best job ever.
44:00Yeah, we're on tour every day. It's great.
44:02I feel like we're on holiday every day.
44:04Now you've got to fill up half the water again.
44:09Nice and refreshing.
44:10Yeah. You would love it.
44:13But yeah, I just absolutely adore it here.
44:25Next time, we meet the new custodians of a hamlet in France.
44:30It's just so fascinating to have all this history in our village.
44:35Meanwhile, another set of saviours fight to give their own settlement a new purpose in life.
44:41I think that there is a certain amount of pride in making it a useful place again.
44:48And we're back with Neil in north-west Spain as his battle to save his village continues.
44:54OK, test time.
44:56Whoa, yeah, there's plenty of water.
44:58It works.
45:00There's plenty of water.
45:00Yeah.
45:23We're all in the house.
45:23There's plenty of water.
45:27Thank you so much.
45:27Let's go for it.
45:28There's plenty of water.
45:29This is different.
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