Obsession Destroyed His Life! ~ Historical Abandoned French Mansion 

Exploring abandoned places is my hobby and finance it all out of my own pocket and the donations I get from the people who love watching the documentaries we make... A small donation would be greatly appreciated! ► www.patreon.com/brosofdecay

I love this channel......I am 66 years old, and live in the past with my memories.....My wife passed 6 years ago, and the children are all raised.....I collect old books & love hiking in the mountains...

The room you thought was the Master bedroom was most likely either a Parlor for sitting and relaxing after a hard day's work, which explains the piano and teacups in the credenza. He may have moved his bed downstairs once he became old because it was too hard to go up and down the steps each night to sleep. And just so you know for future reference, on a rotary phone, you have to lift the receiver off the phone to get a dial tone then dial the number you wanted to call. I grew up on these types of phones before they went to push buttons.

The metal item for the shoes is not for measuring the shoes to get the size needed. They are called shoe stretchers and the are to put into the shoes so they can keep their form. When you walk your shoe bends and it puts wrinkles in the leather so you put those in the shoes and it stretches them back out taking out the creases in the shoe so they stay new looking longer. People also used them when they shined their shoes because it kept the surface of the leather smooth so they could get a better shoe SHINE.

I'm thinking that the bed downstairs was the bed the gentleman used as he got older & maybe couldn't climb the stairs? The furniture was exquisite Walnut I'm guessing, a beautiful wood, I'd love the bedroom furniture. Thank you for another great explore Lesley.

It is heartbreaking to me, all of the beauty just left to decay in these gorgeous old homes. If only they all could be restored. Things from the past just have so much more character and grace than anything modern.

The best items in the whole place are the cast iron designs in front of the windows in the front doors. They are breathtaking.

In books I have read, the hidden or 'secret' passage ways you have found between bedrooms was often there to connect the room of the husband with that of his wife. At different times in history it was common for spouses to have separate rooms but this passage would let them visit discreetly

5:37 😊 You are so cute! A person would have had to pick up the "handset" or "receiver" BEFORE dialing the numbers so the phone could detect the length of each number dialed.

Nice to see no water damage or mold even in the attic. The books and magazines are perfectly preserved. Whatever kind of roofing system they had, THAT'S what I want!

How can you just glance at small boxes and chests, without opening them to see what's in them? I would open everything and investigate everything possible.

The entryway, the furniture is called a hall tree. That's a beautiful piece. Old antique. For coats shoes, Booth's and umbrella's.. Incredible..

every time you mention rotary phones, I realize how old I am... When I was a kid, I had mastered using my mickey mouse rotary phone, in the dark, in the middle of the night, without being heard...

The antiques within this home are totally amazing…just so sad that their marriage and family fell apart 😢…it sounds like a classic case of someone who was consumed by being self employed leaving the spouse and child neglected 🥺

What you called a walking stick that you found up stairs is a dressage whip used while training horses for dressage (highly skilled horse training).

The glasses were cupping device used to increase circulation and draw out toxins from the body. The mattresses would be removed to avoid mold growth.

Hey Lesley! Good to see your energy and positive innocence again. Without your descriptions, the explore means nothing. Your Flemish accent compliments your chocolate voice. Most agreeable camera work with sensible panning. Lesley, try a still or two on a composition of your choice.

I think the downstairs bedroom was intact the original sitting room, hence the piano and sideboards. He probably had the bed moved in there when he couldn't get up the stairs when he was older. It is a mystery though as to why all the mattresses were missing and the actual furniture was left to rot.

Made it!! The double hall stand. Used for coats, umbrellas and usually a draw for gloves, muffs etc. Thank you Leslie, strange house. I think he lost interest after his wife went away. Didn’t have a lived in and loved feeling to it. Just somewhere to put his head down at night after a meal in a cafe or public house. But still a marvellous find with an insight into how some people merely exist after unhappy events. Hope your travels are being enjoyed 🤗😁

The item for the shoe goes into the leather shoe to help it keep it's shape or to stretch the new leather shoe that might be too tight. My husband has cedar ones to keep the shoe shape and stop odor.

Hi Lesley brilliant video. You exicut your finds so caring and passionately. I am 71 years old and know much of what you have dicovered. I wish it was ppossible to be there with you because I'm sure I could help you with some of my life experiences. No materesses. ...rotting matteresses ....well really it doesn't take much thinking about. Get rid!!! Have a happy life xx

I enjoy watching your videos because you take your time talking about the place and you don’t move the camera so fast from one side to the next..

18:17 Just guessing but maybe the cabinet in front of the fire place would hold rolled up newspapers and box of matches for starting the fire.

I love these old houses it’s too bad they can’t be fixed up like they use to be thank you so much for showing them to us and thank you for caring about the people that once lived there so nice and respectful

I love that he's spending more time with the books...

There are probably other comments about the use of the phone. You make a common mistake I've seen before. You first pick up the receiver and put it to your ear, wait for a dial tone, dial your number and wait for your party to answer. Some phones were able to be programmed with your favorite or frequent numbers to avoid the dialing. OLD phones, not so. REALLY old phones had an arm to turn that would signal the local operator who would connect you to your number. The beginning of every call was to put the listening device to your ear. :-) Love your adventures and love how you honor the families.

It's called a hall tree.That piece of furniture at the front door.Love what you do.Keep up the videos.And be careful.

Imagine restoring this beauty and remaining furniture back to it's days of glory. It doesn't look like there is much mold damage internally. Although it might be hidden. It's a lovely mansion ❤

We find your journeys through abandoned buildings fascinating. Can't help but wonder though about all the mould you encounter. Not healthy to spend too much time around mould if you can't get fresh air into the room

G’ Day. The joined bedroom is for husband and wife , for when the husband wants nocturnal visits 😉 the glass domes are for a healing technique called cupping. Great explore 🐨🇦🇺

I love how the wallpapers match the pieces of furniture in colour and style, in this lovely French mansion! This man loved his job and each object in his house speaks about his passion ; it's cute how you try to explain how a device works even if you're not completely sure about that, it simply shows your joy and care about everything you present to your viewers; Thank you for this interesting exploration!

I am desiring more details of the lace, patterns of designs, carpets, woodworking, wallpaper, carvings on banisters, closeups and stills? Fun stuff.

The rotary dial phone looked like a multi-line one with intercom and separate public address, Pick up the receiver Dial 1 ,first, for an outside line. Procedure may have been different in Europe.

This was a lovely old place .You get a good idea what the room looks like when the furniture is still there…Thanks for showing us..Love n Light 🥰

Enjoyed this video what a shame they didn't stay together. The furniture is wonderful to bad one of the children doesn't save it. I love old furniture. Thank you Leslie love ya. Hope no one else finds it and destroys it.

The room on the main floor with the bed, may have been used for another purpose but then as he got older, he couldn't climb the stairs anymore. The wallpapers in the house are spectacular but they look like they're from a different era than the house. You're video is not only archiving the house and furnishings but the wallpaper as well.

A lovely old place with a sad story. Thanks for taking us there.

I really appreciate You being so Respectful.

Maybe he died on his bed, in his sleep and so they had to burn the mattress 😢. May he rest in peace. I like his taste in decor and his pottery is stunning. What a beautiful home.

Love that the roof is still protecting the structure. The front iron doors are amazing. 💯❣

I cracked up at 11:55 🤣 Maybe he indeed had a tea party in his bed room.

Hi Lesley & friends. I worry about you climbing around in the shrubs wearing shorts. Love that little town. Stay safe guys. I just love all your work. Nice music in this one. What an interesting place. Thanks for the share✨

In the end, we all leave treasures behind to decay, indeed 😭😭😭😭

Hello! At 28:20 you mentioned some glasses. These are for medical use. It's called 'cupping'. You warm them up and place them on people's backs when they are ill. They used these on my aunt too. However I don't know what illness the person mast have to use them. Maybe a fever? Something like that

Thanks again. What an amazing home but a sad story. He collected some beautiful pieces.

I think the device you found upstairs was for cupping. Athletes use it to reveal muscle strain.

Hey, at the 28:15 mark the glass bowls in that set are for a therapy known as cupping! Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin with the application of heated cups. Its practice mainly occurs in Asia but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Beautiful furniture!

Ik vind jullie heel goed , en dat komt dat jullie respect hebben voor de verlaten gebouwen enz. Echt super mooi om naar te kijken dank jullie wel

This is why I love your videos and tours the best. At least you TRY to have some background. And much respect you always leave it how you found it, as it should be.

What a waste of beautiful furniture ! Its nice to see that there is no vandalism.

Heyy Lesley, my dear friend, what an exciting explore there in the historical abandoned mansion! The background story is actually very sad to listen to. - I just love seeing these old historical French mansions and castles. France is really a true treasure chest for this kind of locations. - To have a passion in life makes you really feel, that you are living, as you, my dear friend, said once in an older explore video. But of course it depends on the intensity of a passion. The passion should not be so overwhelming, that it gets an unhealthy addiction. - The master bedroom with the beautiful antique furniture was magnificient to see. Of course I loved that old piano the most, and - sorry my dear Lesley, I have to contradict you. You have at least once seen a bedroom with a piano inside, namely my bedroom, when you were visiting me! - The mirrors with the gorgeoes gilded frames are as always fascinating to see, and they represent a typical elegance, which is so characteristic in these old French mansions. - Wonderful explore, dear bro, which was such a great pleasure to watch! - Stay safe, peace and enjoy your grand trip together with Mauureno to the fullest. - Many hugs and kindest regards.

I love these intros Lesley! Climbing those iron fences and crawling through the bramble bushes! Hope you didn’t get too scratched up! French homes have a distinct and unique flair. I just can’t get enough of them! Those doors and the decor inside, with the high ceilings are a delight to behold. Stay safe and I look forward to the next one! Thanks for all your hard work 👏😊

Also, I'm rather new & I've been watching your old videos. You have become so much more professional & your English is so good now. Keep up the magnificent work.

There are cups in the bedroom because they could have tea drinks in the evening. Also, the small cabinet fronting the fireplace could be where pieces of wood were placed for the fireplace. Since it was off, it also serves to cover the burnt wood.

I always think the ornaments on the cabinets are so awesome. Such beautiful old antiques. I hope this house will find a new owner.

Very nice 👍🏾 house. Too bad the old guy, died so lonely. All the old furniture 🪑 is beautiful and priceless.

9:20 I am French and it is ironic because on the newspaper it is written: "how to house the French, the great misery of the French real estate heritage"

All those things people could still use. I noticed the rough timber construction in the attic. What an amazing home. I bet it was beautiful in its time.

The kitchen wallpaper and paint color is beautiful. The furniture is kinda plain. Not what I expected to see. Yet it was pretty. What a shame it's all left to rot.

Love these old homes. So much history and my favorite parts are the secret hidden doors, I’m always excited to see them when you find them! I always wondered why they led to other rooms or sometimes lead to a bathroom. 🧐

ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU EXPLORING ABANDONED PLACES. MAKES YOU WISH YOU COULD JOIN IN THE ADVENTURE. IT WOULD MAKE FOR SOME AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHY. Enjoy many more discoveries Leslie w/your friends.

I love the furnitures and the wallpapers...

Perhaps the wooden furniture inside the fireplace was an attempt to block the draft. Fire places can let in a lot of cold air when not in use and since they had switched to radiators.

That was a beautiful place. The detail on the wooden furniture is stunning. Thank you for showing this beautiful Manor House and talking through all the history from it. You can ramble as much as you like lol

I occassionally will write something after I have watched the full video, today I felt it was time to explain the phone. I usually just chuckle when I hear young people explain them. First you pick up the receiver, check for a dial tone, then you dial the number. You must have the line engaged before you dial or you will only ever have the dial tone until you dial the number. I hope you see this and next phone you find you can explain exactly how it works. I love your videos and fnd your voice very soothing. Thank you.

17:51, I love some of the plates in that closet and the wall paper in this room is so cool and looks brand new. You do a great job of bringing us right in there with you by talking about his life and his passions. It brings the whole place back to life in a way.

I think the little set of glass you found in a box in the bedroom cupboard where used for cupping. An old medical treatment.

I agree,..French architecture,French furniture the most beautiful.

Just love these old places.Thank you.

In the US you had to pick up the horn before you dialed😁Wonderful video! Thank you!

You have such a steady hand when filming. Maybe the quality of your camera helps as well. Some of the exploring channels are so jiggly, i just cannot watch them, but you do an incredible job. Thx.

that 'war' photo is of Pres. de Gaule, France. I think that the glasses inside the upper bedroom, were for "cupping", which was a dubious medical procedure.

One could reasonably assume that the mattresses used were unlike mattresses we have today. They would have been crudely made, and over time I would think they would erode and begin to break down. Ultimately becoming ideal bedding material for rodents, bugs, allergens, and the like

Thank you for the tour! I highly doubt that all the pottery in the house was of his design as there were. definitive differences in the designs and colours. I think his pottery was more Art Deco than anything as was some of the wallpaper and the furniture. Sort of a Art Nouveau--Art Deco cross.

I’d love to restore it. I see potential.

A very nice example of how fairly ordinary people lived in the 2nd and 3rd decades of the 20th century. I have made it a bit of my mission to supplement the fantastic vidoes of the Bros of Decay with some information of outside and inside architectural details so more people can get an understanding of when the houses and interiors were build/made. This house (I would not call it a mansion) was built in the 1920ies. There are not many architectural features outside to give clues, but the windows, cast ironwork and the outside shutters point in the right direction. The wallpapers are all very typical 1920ies, with some that might have been updated in the late 1930ies. The furniture, especially all the bedroom furniture which would have been bought new when the house was built, is mostly from the Art Deco period with a few older pieces inbetween.

I haven't got enuf of ur videos yet...And I go back to that Disney House with its fantasy...This one is interesting from top to bottom. Inside and out. U seem to only get better instead of getting tired(which would be understandable). This is what I find amazing about you! Every room, every drawer, every cabinet peeked into seems to delight you! In turn u delight us over and over. U are so impressive...Many of the beautiful things u show us can be seen in collections, museums, antique shops etc. You show them,"In Situ" i.e. in their original place of use. This is the way to truly appreciate them! Seeing a beautiful mirror in a store can't compare to seeing it in the original place above a fireplace reflecting the chandelier that it was meant for in a Chateau it was meant for. U often mention "Documentation" and that is just what these videos are doing for history. I think they will become valuable historic records of these items! !Greetings from New Orleans, LoUiSiAna.

I love what you do, Leslie. I wonder if the matresses were taken as they would deteriorate so much faster, spread the moisture, mildew, and so not to get used by vermin for nests or whatnot. You never know. Beautiful home....sad too.

Beautiful, really!

I just loved this mansion. Sad the wife and child left. The cupboard in the entrance hall is called a Hall Stand for coats and umbrellas. Beautiful furniture. Quite tidy. I think the cooking was done in the outside kitchen. Perhaps the was acstove in thr small kitchen of the house but perhaps moved like the mattresses. Very interesting video. 🌻

Hi Leslie and Jordi,Thanks for another fantastic abandoned mansion video. Love these older mansions and the history that lies hidden into the past. Not much of a kitchen,but the mansion itself is gorgeous.Imagine the life here,with children,a full garden,and a successful business. Unfortunately,everything grows old,including our homes,our bodies,the business methods,etc. Its such an interesting story,that his passion outgrew itself,and things dwindled down from then on!!😣💔

The way you showed how to use the old school razor was wonderful! Thank you for the amazing video! Love from Sri Lanka!

I just I just love your shows on RU-vid I think you're a wonderful human being and you're so thoughtful and caring and insightful and what you pick out to see and I just enjoy your show thank you very much Lisa from Maryland USA

I almost missed this one ! No notification ! But im glad i found it ! I had to watch it 2 times because you voice sends me to sleep 😊😊

Your videos keep getting better and better. I appreciate the respect you give the buildings and their contents.vi have noticed that in some larger places you have had the most incredible oriental or Turkish rugs, and stain glass lamps. I would enjoy a little longer look. These things are often very valuable. Keep up the good work. I love the way you present each room. You are definitely the best at this genera. Thanks Lynn

What an incredible find!!!! Doesn't look to bad of shape either. I would LOVE to buy and restore it. Thanks for the tour

Love the piano music at the beginning!

A very interesting time-capsule..forgotten..left alone..thanks for sharing it with us.

Wow this place is exciting. Can tell you feel the same. Makes a person sit on the edge of their 💺

I always like you have a story behind the homes you explore, you do research and make the house come to life even if the story has a sad ending. Your a good explorer of these homes and so polite and respectful of these people memories of their lives and bring the objects to life you can almost picture the people that was there at one time. Thank you 😊 Enjoy your channel.

This is the first time i ever saw a video that not even a single mattress is left and it puzzles me... thank you for sharing Lesley...always amazing and beautiful videos..stay safe

Love this place, I love the French design. This was a very beautiful place long ago. Thank you for exploring 😊 💜

We had a shoe stretcher like that... Used it all the time.. Would like to see the doilies up close more. I love how you say sewing... 😊💕

In the cabinet in one of the bedrooms there was a box of glass cups. They use them medically. It is used for suction to bring circulation to an area of skin. Generally, they would heat the cup on the inside of the cup and put it on an area like a back muscle and it would such the skin into it. If you have bleeding disorders you wouldn't want to do it.

I believe that cabinet stored wood. I have seen cabinets similar to that served the purpose of wood

You find the best places. Some beautiful lacework and I would've gone through everything in the sewing cupboard. Very lovely antiques in this home - thanks!

Just a minor detail ...the word sewing is pronounced to rhyme with the word mowing, as in mowing the lawn, not to rhyme with doing, as in doing chores. Love your videos!

Beautiful stuff still in the house Sooooooo sad it’s all still there

Que lindo es ver tus videos! Nos muestras lo que fue la historia al otro lado de America 😉🖐️💃💋👍🤗🌟👏🐎🇦🇷🐧🌏🌍🌎