The large area of garden added by Ferdinand Duprat tamed the marshland (the defence of the early château),so it was necessary to reconstruct the whole on piles driven into the silt (cf. History of the gardens).

Every year, work is undertaken : the wooden piles onto which the joists and flooring planks are nailed are knocked in firmly in order to re-construct on top a shelter, a jetty or simply lawns and paths.

Unfortunately we cannot pass silently over the terrible ravages which we experienced the night of 26th to 27th December 1999. It took just five hours of wind blowing at 220 km/h to lay low the forest praised by Pierre Loti (cf. History of the gardens).

With the help of public bodies and thanks to AMICOUR (Association of friends of La Roche Courbon), we are clearing fallen trees every year. Thousands of cubic metres of firewood have gone and we are re-planting rows of oaks, poplars, limes or maples. We are also allowing nature to regenerate itself.

There is still a lot to do because about 90 out of the 150 hectares of forest were destroyed. In the twenty first century, conserving a property like La Roche Courbon is a difficult challenge and the joy one feels is commensurate with one’s personal commitment.

Let us leave the final word to the sailor, poet, academician Pierre Loti:
“I have travelled all over the world. Between my long voyages I came back like a pilgrim piously driven by the memory, saying to myself each time that nothing in distant lands was as restful or as beautiful as this little corner of our little known Saintonge.”