Overview

A range of natural stone paving from Westminster Stone was selected by Dick and Angel Strawbridge of TV's Escape to the Chateau for the renovation of Chateau de la Motte Husson.

Background

Dick and Angel Strawbridge are well known for their bold and beautiful renovation of Chateau de la Motte Husson, with their TV show, Escape to the Chateau, inspiring thousands of DIYers and renovators across the globe. Angel found Westminster Stone while looking for the perfect heritage stone for the outside area of the chateau. What started with an initial image search led to the beginning of an inspiring collaboration between two family-run businesses that are passionate about restoration.

Westminster Stone spoke to Dick and Angel Strawbridge about their journey so far, their experiences of using its traditional garden paving, their own garden inspiration, and their plans for the future.

Hidcote paving outside the chateau

Dick and Angel's journey with Westminster Stone began when they were looking for flagstones to complement the outside of their 150-year-old stone chateau. It was important that the patio looked good for their wedding guests but they also needed a product which looked like it has always been there. They chose Hidcote paving from Westminster Stone's National Trust Collection and in Season 5, Dick Strawbridge was seen laying it outside the front of the chateau, after the arduous task of raking the existing gravel.

Angel said: "When we found the picture of the Hidcote Paving it drew us immediately to your site, it's not only nice looking, it's exactly what we wanted, which was this old-looking stone that had different mixtures of sandy and grey tones. When we first got in touch, I felt a bit worried because sometimes you find the perfect thing and then it's not available or it doesn't exist but you turned out to be lovely and helpful and it was the start of a fantastic relationship."

The folly

The folly was a dilapidated building that had been neglected for many years and used to house gardening tools and even pigs at one time. Dick and Angel decided to restore the folly and transform it into a beautiful and unique living space that would last for years to come. It has become a massive feature of the walled garden and the inspiration has been carried through to the adjacent seating area. Initially looking for a black and white Victorian tile, Angel was thrilled when she was able to recreate this unique look using Old Provence Petit lozenge and charcoal tiles, ensuring that the folly would last for years to come and giving it the character and warmth she wanted. She said:

"The flooring gave the entire Folly a uniqueness that we would not have got elsewhere. Whats interesting is you can take something that is lovely on its own, but when you put them together in a certain pattern - it is outstanding."

Walled garden inspiration

The walled garden was a neglected space that was overgrown with weeds and brambles. Dick and Angel decided to restore the walled garden and transform it into a productive and beautiful space. They chose Westminster Stone's Yorkstone paving to create a pathway through the garden and outside of the folly. The paving was chosen to complement the style of the walled garden and to create a durable and low-maintenance surface. Dick told us:

"We've been working on the walled garden since the first year and it has now started to take shape as we have seen it through the seasons and we know what works for us. We are ready to go ahead with the paving to reduce the maintenance on our side and make something stunning to look at and walk around."

What time of day does the Yorkstone paving look the best?

"The walled garden is different from every direction at every time of the day and that is the beauty of a walled garden" said Dick. "We had to design something that allowed the whole circle to work. Every single view is wonderful. When choosing the stone, you have to really think this is forever. It will always look good because the more wear that is on it, the more you get the feeling that the walled garden owns it."

How did you create a flow from the folly to the walled garden?

"We decided to follow the Folly flooring through into the walled garden" says Angel, "to create an area that looks like a rug and zone out our outdoor seating area - it all just pulls it together. When we were doing the dressing, I'm used to getting an outside rug and it felt weird to not use one, but of course we now have one there forever."

"I have to just say, your paving matches everything. You could have a stone farmhouse, a Tudor house even a more modern house and I would probably put your stone on all of it, because you have managed to create something modern yet old and it's just genius, it really is"
– Angel Strawbridge