Restoration of the oldest manor in Brittany - The Boberil Manor

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Studio Sherlock, is an audio-visual and transmedia production agency specialised in cultural heritage. One of our missions is to give a glimpse of what is going on behind the curtains - or in this case the scaffoldings! - of a restoration project. Through videos, articles, podcasts and social media, we are sharing our passion and knowledge about heritage to the public.
Our team is specialised: engineers who use their technical skills to identify and diagnose materials and structures work together with video directors and technicians to produce relevant content on the restoration works, explaining all the problematics at stake.
This particular project began in 2017 when the owner, Mr. du Boberil, asked us to produce three documentary films to keep the memory of the restoration works.
As work was going on, we discovered how remarkable this project was. We decided to go beyond our initial mission and we produced transmedia content to showcase this project : podcast, videos, photographies, "one minute explainer", 3D modelization to explain the different periods of construction... A complete and interesting story was built around this amazing project. The restoration work is still in progress and the last video of the trilogy will be released when the project will be finished at the end of 2020.
Directing: Julie Garcia & Charlotte Trigance
Backup: Faustine Cossec
Editing: Julie Garcia
Mixing: Xavier Plouchart
Production: STUDIO SHERLOCK - http://www.studiosherlock.fr
Restoration of the oldest manor in Brittany - The Boberil Manor
The Boberil Manor is dated from the first half of the 14th century (1335).
The Boberil Manor, an important part of the Hermitage village located 15km from Rennes, France, has been undergoing restoration works since 2017. Mr. Olivier du Boberil, the owner, tells us about the restoration project of the oldest dated manor in Brittany and the different discoveries unearthed during the archaeological studies beforehand.
This is the first episode of a trilogy about this exceptional building rich in history and the traditional craftsmanship displayed for its construction.
Discover the second episode, "Local materials and ancient restoration methods - The Boberil Manor" here : Second Episode
Ancient techniques and local materials are being used to render the noble appearance of the Boberil Manor. This second video presents the restoration works, and in particular the masonry built with ancient clay and straw techniques.
Daniel Lefèvre, Chief Architect for Historical Monuments who is in charge of the restoration of the manor, presents the construction techniques applied. These techniques use local materials such as the mud found onsite. The guideline for the restoration is to favour traditional and ecological methods as well as local materials to replicate its original state. The craftsmen explain to us the masonry techniques used for this outstanding project.
Directing: Julie Garcia & Charlotte Trigance
Backup: Faustine Cossec
Editing:Julie Garcia
Mixing: Xavier Plouchart
Production: STUDIO SHERLOCK
The Boberil Manor, an important part of the Hermitage village located 15km from Rennes, France, has been undergoing restoration works since 2017. Mr. Olivier du Boberil, the owner, tells us about the restoration project of the oldest dated manor in Brittany and the different discoveries unearthed during the archaeological studies beforehand.
This is the first episode of a trilogy about this exceptional building rich in history and the traditional craftsmanship displayed for its construction.
Discover the second episode, "Local materials and ancient restoration methods - The Boberil Manor" here : Second Episode
Ancient techniques and local materials are being used to render the noble appearance of the Boberil Manor. This second video presents the restoration works, and in particular the masonry built with ancient clay and straw techniques.
Daniel Lefèvre, Chief Architect for Historical Monuments who is in charge of the restoration of the manor, presents the construction techniques applied. These techniques use local materials such as the mud found onsite. The guideline for the restoration is to favour traditional and ecological methods as well as local materials to replicate its original state. The craftsmen explain to us the masonry techniques used for this outstanding project.
Directing: Julie Garcia & Charlotte Trigance
Backup: Faustine Cossec
Editing:Julie Garcia
Mixing: Xavier Plouchart
Production: STUDIO SHERLOCK
Restoration of the oldest manor in Brittany - The Boberil Manor : a transmedia story by Studio Sherlock
The Boberil Manor is dated from the first half of the 14th century (1335). Therefore, it is the oldest dated manor in Brittany.
When its owner, Mister Olivier du Boberil, inherited the building from his father it was in a very poor state of conservation. It was necessary to launch important restoration works.
The process of this project has been especially interesting as beforehand, an archeological study was conducted. This study gave us a precise idea of the different steps of the building's construction: extensions, modifications,... Moreover, it brought to light that local materials and traditional methods were used. It may even be the Boberil Manor that launched architectural trends in Brittany. These discoveries were precious for the restoration project.
Mister du Boberil, on advice of the Chief Architect of Historical Monuments, chose to restore the state of the building as it was in the 16th century, using traditional methods and local materials. Thus, the restoration works are respectful of the environement and contribute to value local and traditional craftmanship.
The restoration works have been going on since 2017. It is hoped that the Manor will be completely restored by the end of the year. Mister du Boberil wanted to keep the memory of the work that has been done, to be able to pass it on to future generations. Therefore, Studio Sherlock produced three documentary films that present this outstanding project.
As the restoration works were going on, we went onsite to film the workers, their techniques and craftmanship. It rapidly became obvious that this project was interesting from different points of view :
From all the audiovisual material we had, we decided, with the approval of Mr. du Boberil, to go beyond the three documentary films. We constructed a complete transmedia story around the project. The aim was to make all the interesting points of the project accessible to the public. And we also wanted to show the implication of Mister du Boberil for the restoration of the manor.
We produced :
All this content was displayed during an onsite exhibition during the European Heritage Days Celebrations, two years in a row (2018 and 2019). Everybody was welcomed to learn about the project. The aim of the exhibition was to allow the visitors to understand exactly what they were seeing, and how outstanding this project is.
The exhibitions were a huge success. This year, we are preparing a 3D model of the building which will allow the visitor to understand the manor's evolution and the current architectural oddities, remnants of previous modifications. These modifications are also linked to the family's history. One of the documentary films will explain the manor from this perspective.
This project is unique and outstanding in different ways. It is an incredible human adventure and an extraordinary project. We thank Mister du Boberil for its renewed trust in our work and all the workers for their availablility and kindness.
The Boberil Manor is dated from the first half of the 14th century (1335). Therefore, it is the oldest dated manor in Brittany.
When its owner, Mister Olivier du Boberil, inherited the building from his father it was in a very poor state of conservation. It was necessary to launch important restoration works.
The process of this project has been especially interesting as beforehand, an archeological study was conducted. This study gave us a precise idea of the different steps of the building's construction: extensions, modifications,... Moreover, it brought to light that local materials and traditional methods were used. It may even be the Boberil Manor that launched architectural trends in Brittany. These discoveries were precious for the restoration project.
Mister du Boberil, on advice of the Chief Architect of Historical Monuments, chose to restore the state of the building as it was in the 16th century, using traditional methods and local materials. Thus, the restoration works are respectful of the environement and contribute to value local and traditional craftmanship.
The restoration works have been going on since 2017. It is hoped that the Manor will be completely restored by the end of the year. Mister du Boberil wanted to keep the memory of the work that has been done, to be able to pass it on to future generations. Therefore, Studio Sherlock produced three documentary films that present this outstanding project.
As the restoration works were going on, we went onsite to film the workers, their techniques and craftmanship. It rapidly became obvious that this project was interesting from different points of view :
- - ecological,
- - technical (traditional craftmanship),
- - use of local materials
- - historical
- - architectural
- - memory of the past
From all the audiovisual material we had, we decided, with the approval of Mr. du Boberil, to go beyond the three documentary films. We constructed a complete transmedia story around the project. The aim was to make all the interesting points of the project accessible to the public. And we also wanted to show the implication of Mister du Boberil for the restoration of the manor.
We produced :
- - 3 documentary films (the third one is still in production)
- - 6 "one minute explainers" which each detail a restoration method or a technical term that is used onsite (see examples below)
- - 2 photography shoots
- - 1 podcast showcasing the clay and straw technique
- - 1 3D model of the building which shows the different periods of the manor's construction
- - 1 film explaining the evolution of the Boberil family compared to the evolution of the manor (still in progress)
- - 1 technical short film that explains the addition of one of the aisles of the manor
All this content was displayed during an onsite exhibition during the European Heritage Days Celebrations, two years in a row (2018 and 2019). Everybody was welcomed to learn about the project. The aim of the exhibition was to allow the visitors to understand exactly what they were seeing, and how outstanding this project is.
The exhibitions were a huge success. This year, we are preparing a 3D model of the building which will allow the visitor to understand the manor's evolution and the current architectural oddities, remnants of previous modifications. These modifications are also linked to the family's history. One of the documentary films will explain the manor from this perspective.
This project is unique and outstanding in different ways. It is an incredible human adventure and an extraordinary project. We thank Mister du Boberil for its renewed trust in our work and all the workers for their availablility and kindness.