URBAN EXPLORING ABANDONED 16TH-CENTURY CHÂTEAU IN FRANCE THAT HOUSED ROYALTY
WITH PIX AND VID
By Shuk Yee Tsang
Checkout this footage showing an abandoned building hidden deep in the French countryside, a 500-year-old château that once had royalty reside and contains historical artifacts of presidents, world leaders, celebrities and more.
Matt Nadin, 46, from Sheffield, a full-time Youtuber explored the 16th-century Château de Champigny-sur-Veude, located in Loire Valley, France.
Inside, Matt discovered grand furniture, formal clothing and framed photographs showing the former owners alongside world leaders including John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, King Charles III (then Prince Charles), and Camilla Parker Bowles.
He shared that the sprawling estate includes more than 100 rooms, extensive outbuildings, a stable block and even an adjoining 11th-century church.
Upon his exploration he found photographs of American flags and prominent figures, which prompted him to search the names and deeper history immediately.
He explained that although the château’s modern celebrity connections were striking, its deeper history was equally astonishing.
The estate has links to the Bourbon dynasty and figures such as Cardinal Richelieu, tying it to centuries of European royal and religious power.
He believes documenting such properties preserves their stories, especially as some previously explored sites have since been destroyed by fire or vandalism.
Matt said: “I was blown away by this unbelievable château.
“It’s one of the biggest I have ever explored. Usually when you explore buildings this big the contents have been removed and it’s just the architecture left.
“But with this place, I was shocked to see amazing grand furniture, items of clothing that would’ve been worn at dinner parties and photographs of the previous owner with some of the most powerful people in the world.
“This made me feel even more privileged to walk the halls that such famous people had done before me.
“The modern history of this place is outstanding so it’s very easy to forget the hundreds of years of history that went before.
“Linking back to the Stuarts in the UK and popes from Rome really did make this explore just that little bit more special than normal.
“ It’s hard to put a figure on how much this place would be worth today.
“But I would say in my eyes it’s worth at least £10 million.
“There is always a mixed reaction to exploring videos."
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