A British couple living in Brittany will be staging one of this summer's most colourful events in northern France, commemorating a 14th-century fight to the death between 30 English and 30 French knights.

Chris and Carol Sealy are staging a son-et-lumiere in the grounds of their beautifully-restored Manoir de Mongrenier in Guégon, Brittany, a drama of love, treason, passion and knightly chivalry, and one of the highlights of a summer of events focussed on the 1,000th anniversary of the nearby mediaeval town of Josselin.

The Sealys, who bought the manoir in 1996 and have restored it to its original mediaeval splendour, have assembled a cast of over 100 English and French actors, and a team of professional musicians, designers and producers for a one-and-a-half hour show played out in both languages titled 'Jeanne et ses Chevaliers".

Swordplay, armoured knights on horseback, political intrigue and the story of a French damsel in love with an English knight will be staged before audiences of up to 500 on July 24, 25, 26 and 31 and August 1 and 2.

Says Chris Sealy: "This is one of the great stories of the 100 Years War, and we believe the show will be a holiday highlight for British visitors to Brittany this summer."

We like to imagine that Guillaume de Montauban, whose family originally owned the manoir, rode out from this very spot to fight in the battle.

When Chris and Carol Sealy embarked on the daunting task of restoring a 13th century manoir at Coët Bugat in the Brittany countryside, they decided that building a strong relationship with the local community was every bit as important as rebuilding the crumbling old walls.

Says Chris: "The way we looked at it, the Manoir de Mongrenier had been standing since at least 1248, and it seemed some of the villagers could trace their ancestors back almost that far.

"Mongrenier was more than just a home for us to rebuild. It was, as the French say, a coup de coeur, a serious love affair. And while we may be only the 11th family to own it, the manoir really belongs to the village."

The Sealys bought the manoir in 1996 after Chris sold his micro-electronics company in Maidenhead, and Carol had retired from teaching in Rickmansworth.

"We wanted to do something constructive", recalls Chris, "rather than just play golf or grow veg in the UK. So we started looking around Brittany for a broken-down property to do up, and stumbled across the manoir. Frankly, it was about as foreboding as the Bates motel in 'Psycho'".

They discovered that the original square, stone-built building with its 1½ metre thick walls had been used as a dormitory by workers from the farm next door, the attached longère with its rotting beams was a comfortable stable for the cows, and the tower with its mediaeval 'witches hat' roof was uninhabitable.

Understandable anxieties were soon swept aside by the couple's enthusiasm and energy, despite Chris's previous experience being confined to a six-month NVQ course in woodwork and bricklaying at St Albans College.

From the start, they decided to use only local masons, plumbers, electricians, roofers and builders' merchants, plus a small army of friends and family as volunteer labourers.

The restoration was not without its dramas: Chris nearly electrocuted himself cutting through a live cable, while a stonemason fell from a top floor window onto steps below, sustaining a broken wrist, cracked jaw and dislocated shoulder. Six weeks later he was back at work.

As the three-year project gradually transformed the crumbling ruin into the beautiful building of today, a steady procession of curious Bretons came to pay a visit and neighbourly respects. As a result, Chris and Carol learned that the grenier at the top of the tower was reached by precisely 41 steps, confirmed by several veterans who once climbed them with 60-kilo sacks of grain on their backs.

The restoration was finally finished in 2000, and a year later the longère was converted into b&b accommodation with two self-catering cottages alongside, and awarded the maximum three stars from Gites de France.

But the project wasn't just about stone and timbers, granite blocks and mortar. Chris and Carol determined to develop the strongest possible relationship with the local community, believing that this was the way to get the most out of their new life in France.

So the following year they staged the first 'Music at Mongrenier' concert. "We stuck up a few posters around the village and persuaded some musician friends to come and play", says Carol. "We didn't have a clue what the reaction would be, or how many would turn up."

They needn't have worried. The mayor, the doctor and the 82-year-old priest were among an audience of 200 who came to hear a recital of Celtic music, much as it would have sounded all those centuries before when the courtly de Montauban family first owned the manoir.

The event has since become an annual Fest Noz, the unique blend of Breton song and dance, and is eagerly anticipated by the local community and summer visitors to Brittany.

After 11 years, the Sealys have become fully-integrated citizens of Coët Bugat and the neighbouring town of Guegon, invited to weddings, funerals and birthday celebrations, and helping with community events.

"We're just pleased to have made a contribution to the community", says Carol, "and the fact it's recognised and appreciated locally gives us enormous satisfaction."

'Music at Mongrenier' has now evolved into a full-scale Son-et-Lumiere, which promises to be one of this summer's most colourful events in Brittany, commemorating a 14th-century fight to the death between English and French knights.

The Combat des Trente was fought in 1351, when 30 French knights challenged 30 English to a dawn-to-dusk battle near Josselin, the mediaeval town a few kilometres from Mongrenier, which celebrates its 1,000th anniversary this year.

The drama created by Chris and Carol weaves a story of blood and glory, romance and political intrigue, recounting how the sister of a French chevalier from Mongrenier falls in love with one of the English knights.

The Sealys have assembled a cast of 100 English and French actors, all drawn from the local community, and a team of professional musicians, designers, lighting experts and producers for a two hour show played out in both languages.

As an entrée, there will be parades of armoured knights on horseback, jugglers, strolling musicians, swordplay and archery demonstrations, which will be staged before audiences of up to 500 each night on July 24, 25, 26 and 31 and August 1 and 2.

Says Chris: "We like to imagine that Guillaume de Montauban, whose family originally owned the manoir, rode out from this very spot to fight in the battle. It's a romantic thought, anyway!"

For further information, visit www.son-et-lumiere-guegon.com or call 0033 297 730 254.

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