Amberley Castle Welcomes Medieval Sister Hotel in France
April 2005

The proprietors of Amberley Castle in West Sussex, Joy and Martin Cummings, are delighted to announce their recent purchase of the medieval chateau ‘Abbaye de la Bussière’ in the Cote Dor region of Burgundy,France – La Bussière opens its doors as Amberley Castle’s sister hotel in France on 1st March 2006.

The similarities between ‘La Bussière’ and Amberley Castle are remarkable. Both date back to 1103 though the sites are mentioned in the mists of the time around mid 700 AD. Amberley Castle belonged to the church for 435 years until the dissolution of the monasteries, whereas La Bussière made it to the French Revolution, 686 years. Both at one stage were hunting lodges, at which time the abbaye became a chateau. Bishop Luffa created the site at Amberley and Stephen Harding; a Cistercian monk founded the abbaye. 900 years later, both properties became country house hotels.

Martin Cummings says, “I stand accused of being greedy! As if it is not enough in one lifetime to find a real gem in the form of Amberley Castle, Joy and I have done it again! This time in the form of a medieval château which has spooky similarities in style, location and history to that of our medieval castle in Sussex. The castle is two hours south of London while La Bussière is two hours southwest of Paris.

“Clive, our son, Tanith, his wife, and four grandchildren have already moved to France to supervise the conversion from abbey to hotel and to prepare for the restaurant opening on February 10th 2006, eighteen years to the day after Amberley, with twenty bedrooms available from March 1st 2006. It is an exciting time for everyone involved and we look forward to welcoming our first guests early next year.”

‘Abbaye de la Bussière’ is an enchanting Cistercian monastery, set in 18 acres of park land and nestling at the base of three valleys (Ouche, Comberainboeuf and Arvot), it is a serene scene that is romantically enhanced by the River Arvot running through the grounds via a cascade and lake to a millstream and mill and then into the River de Bourgogne, which runs alongside the famous Canal de Bourgogne, with its many colourful barges down from Paris.

The same attention to detail that has created the homely ambience at Amberley is being brought to bear at La Bussière, with luxurious and indulgent facilities blending with medieval architecture. Mirroring the castle, the château will become a destination in its own right, just five hours due south by motorway from Calais, with plans to join Relais & Châteaux by 2007 - the prestigious international Association of privately owned hotels and restaurants.

The purchase of Abbaye de la Bussière was completed in April 2005 after months of ‘challenging’ negotiations in France. Just like Amberley Castle, the chateau is undergoing a complete refurbishment and will be transformed from abbey to hotel with completion planned in February 2006.

Abbaye de la Bussière is situated close to Beaune, 30 kilometres southwest of the bustling, medieval town of Dijon famous for its mustard and market. By contrast, the ‘chocolate box’ village of La Bussière is tiny with little more than 20 houses, making the château the ideal retreat for high-level business and conferences or for anyone who just wants to get away.

This area of France provides the ideal opportunity to discover vineyards, the châteaux/abbayes of Burgundy and the Loire and all the places/countries east, as well as a stopping-off place for the beaches of the South of France or skiing in the French Alps.