Have a quick look at this short article people. Sorry it is in French for those of you who can't. We heard the story on local news this morning and now here is this from the paper.
http://www.sudouest.fr/2012/11/30/belle-bevue-a-bellevue-894595-2780.php
What the paper does not say is how quickly the demolition contractor turned up after the devis was signed and then how quickly the entire château demolished and all of the rubble and so on removed, which we all know is not a common event. Nobody noticed though!
At least the guy is intending to rebuild it. Pretty run of the mill old chartreuse any way. Looks like it's not just the Anglos who have P&O Builders.
Somewhere in Poland stands a new château, French style, that a building company just happened to find when it fell off the back of one of the lorries... as they say!
Fishy she says. It pongs of a shoal of half rotten pilchards! But was anybody awake at all?
Umm, something fishy going on - you need a 'permis de demolir' from the mairie before any respectable company will demolish! You also have to pay a lot extra to have the rubble removed!
Have just re-read it - all the vehicles of the building company are registered in ---Poland! Obviously was having it done on the cheap - 'peut-etre au noir' methinks.