The owner’s tour | Restoring heritage one board at a time

Owners open the doors of their exceptional residence to us, offered on the resale market.

Already, the name foreshadowed a stroll in the past. The Grande-Barbue Watermill… it looked like a Fred Pellerin tale. We were already imagining a family New Year’s Eve where we would delight in goose, stew and sugar cream. The domain of actor Jean Leclerc in Saint-Césaire is all that and so much more. Story of a life devoted to catching up with the past.

“In the summer of 1975, for a role in a play, I rented a magnificent heritage house in Bellechasse,” says Mr. Leclerc. I came from the city, I did not know the stone houses. I felt like in Doctor Zhivago. The owner, a museum curator, suggested I buy it, but it wasn’t very practical for a Montrealer. His advice: “If you find a mill for sale in your area, don’t hesitate! They are so rare that it will be a good investment.” »

Rare, water mills are. Mr. Leclerc spread the word to those around him and… waited. One day, someone told him about a mill for sale somewhere in Montérégie. “Montérégie is big, but I was determined. I opened the Yellow Pages and called every real estate agent until I found the right one. »

At first glance, he had a serious crush on him even before entering. “I made an offer on the spot. Then I spent the night wondering if I hadn’t gone a little crazy. »

The mill was commissioned in 1829 by Lord Pierre-Dominique Debartzch. The location was ideal, because the hydraulic power needed to operate the bucket wheel came from the river that meanders through the land, the Grande-Barbue. It was in operation until 1970. In 1976, the Angers family, which had operated it since 1870, was ready to get rid of it.

The mill, his house and the vast land needed work. “A lot of work. I was young, my career was going well and I felt invincible. Except that he knew nothing about manual labor or renovation, as his discouraged father reminded him when he saw the inventory on his first visit. “Especially since the roof was flapping in the wind,” the son recalls with a laugh.

With the help of friends and craftsmen, Jean Leclerc has spent most of the last 46 years meticulously building or restoring his house and developing the land around it, adding four buildings, a swimming pool, terraces and all the trees therein. A titanic job.

“The week, I played in New York. On Fridays, I took the 5:00 p.m. flight home where I swapped the suit for the crowbar. And I was going back to New York on Monday morning! »

In addition to the restoration work he had to carry out over the years (everything had to be redone), he created a world of the 19th^e century with the conveniences of the XXI^e.

The interiors have been carefully appointed with period items accumulated over the years. Mr. Leclerc is a born collector. Ducks, cherubs, cupboards, nothing escapes him. “I visit antique shops, growers, barns, old houses. When I find, I buy! ” An example ? The kitchen work surfaces and stair treads are from an old barn purchased for $50.

“For the whole barn?”

— Yes, but we had to empty it and clean it afterwards! »

After having stripped it of its planks which were used for the framework of the common rooms, Mr. Leclerc and his friends were preparing to sweep the ground when they discovered wooden slats under the straw. “We came back the next day to pick them up, a nice surprise. »

The outdoor area is impressive. It feels like an enchanted garden. And that turbulent little river that surrounds the land… We visited it on a dark December day when rain, rather than snow, was waiting for us. No matter, there is so much to say about this property that we would have stayed there for a long time listening to its owner tell anecdotes and other adventures.

Mr. Leclerc is in his 78^e year. After so much effort and work, it’s time to move on to another step. He hopes, we understand, that the next owners want to keep this heritage jewel.