Abandoned-France, Chateau du Mas-Cerise

Click to see the Back in Time Article Following an accident, which left him paralysed, it yielded its shares to its Legrand associate. Henri Betoule, after commercial studies worked in a company in the East of France, from which he became the chairman. To find his roots, he purchased in 1912 the land of the Mas Cerise.

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The former owner of the Mas Cerise (Cherry Farmhouse) , Henri Betoule, who originated from Limoges. His/her father, Leonard Betoule, owned one of the four older Limoges porcelain factories, which employed 115 people in 1875.

The Chateau du Mas-Cerise before work, the older brother of Henri, Emile Betoule, was the head of the company of Mas Rome, which started to specialize in the electric industry and was called at the time Betoule-Legrand Co.

Following an accident, which left him paralysed, it yielded its shares to its Legrand associate. Henri Betoule, after commercial studies worked in a company in the East of France, from which he became the chairman. To find his roots, he purchased in 1912 the land of the Mas Cerise.

This property of 60 ha then included an immense park surrounding a chateau (its construction goes back to 1908), which it clearly improved compared to the original, by the decorating it of turns, adding a second round to it on the right about 1920, then a watch tower about 1925.

An agricultural domain was associated there and Henri Betoule spent much to make it a model farm which enabled him to obtain many awards at the agricultural shows. its grandchildren, had also made there it build then a village with a town hall, a church, a school? During war 1914/1918, it will accomodate in the property a great number of refugees.

The Mas Cerise became property of the municipality in 1973 and since then it accomodates the municipal services. The interior evolved obviously much, but in part remained intact, it acts of the office of Henri Betoule, now the office of the Mayor who in particular preserved his beautiful woodworks in mahogany. Among the buildings of the property which were completely rehabilitated, one can see the stables which became the room Georges Brassens, the sheep-fold in which is now the village hall of the Mas Cerise and the Pataude Barn in which are the municipal workshops. .