4 minute read
A very English Abbaye
An English Abbey in France
In 2005, the Cummings family acquired a 12th century abbey in the heart of Burgundy, transforming it into a magnificent country house hotel where three generations work together.
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Founded in 1131 by another Englishman, Stephen Harding, a Cistercian monk from Sherborne, Dorset, the building is nestled in 6.9 hectares (17 acres) in the luxuriant Ouche Valley between Dijon and
Beaune. Once home to some 300 monks in the
C13th, it only became known as the Château de la Bussière in the C19th.
Joy and Martin Cummings began their long journey in the hospitality business in 1977 when they acquired their first pub, the King’s Arms Inn in Cookham-on-Thames. Then came The Inn on the Lake in Godalming in 1982, and in May 1988, with the help of a sizable bank loan, they bought Amberley Castle in West Sussex.
One of Joy and Martin’s four children, Clive, trained to become a chef at Westminster College in London and by 1998, Clive and his wife Tanith became the managers. Over the years, Amberley Castle would become an awardwinning, luxury country house hotel, joining the Relais & Châteaux group and gaining worldwide renown. In 2005, the Cummings sought a sister property and, being ardent francophiles, France seemed like an obvious place to start. Visiting the Abbaye de la Bussière, it was love at first sight. They signed the purchase contract there and then. Clive moved out to France with Tanith and their four children. So began a new challenge; to plan the transformation of the abbey into a country house hotel, to set up the new business, to settle the children, then aged ten, eight, four and two, into French schools - and all this without a word of French!
The abbey opened in April 2006 with ten bedrooms, along with a gastronomic restaurant in the former refectory and a bistrot in the former monks’ kitchen. Within a year, they
became members of the Relais & Châteaux group and the gastronomic restaurant earned a Michelin star. In 2008, the abbey won the prestigious accolade of Andrew Harper Hideaway of the Year. Since then, it has been voted among Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Hotels of the World and listed in the Daily Telegraph Travel’s 50 Best Hotels in the World.
Forever flowing with innovative ideas, Clive and Tanith plan to renovate the old watermill to create some 10 additional bedrooms, create a spa area with swimming pool and develop both a cooking and wine school. The consecrated crypt in the park has been carefully preserved, providing the most wonderful, intimate and spiritual spot for weddings.
In 2015, the family installed three beehives, allowing the abbey to produce its own honey. The organic vegetable and herb gardens are forever being cultivated and, last year, shrimps were reintroduced into the waters below the dovecot and in the lake. The monks have long gone, but Abbaye de la Bussière retains a feeling of peace and tranquillity, hard to find in this modern world.
How is it working with family?
Discipline and diplomacy are important and as much as possible, we try to keep work and family life separate. For us, it is important that if our children work with us, they share our values and love the business as much as we do. They must be accountable for their roles.
How has the business worked within Covid? Hospitality specifically has had a rough time…
To a degree the government helped to keep the business alive, but we still had to borrow more money - and over a much shorter term. In addition, finding personnel became even more difficult than it was prior to Covid. Many people rediscovered free evenings and weekends - and liked it!
Can you pinpoint key turning points in your life?
Without a doubt, coming to see Abbaye de la Bussière for the first time and signing a ‘compromis’ or preliminary sale agreement on the very same day, without knowing if we could borrow the money from the bank. That was the start of the adventure.
Any advice for those thinking about starting a family business? In hospitality or otherwise?
You need to make sure that all the family is on board, working towards the same goals and fully understands their roles in the business.
What’s your life motto?
It has changed over the years, but probably: ‘Follow your Dreams’.
Will your children follow the same path?
Our two daughters definitely want to continue in the hospitality sector. We don’t know yet about our two sons.
Would you do it all over again?
Absolutely.
Have you integrated the local community?
Yes. We moved here from England in 2005. The children went to local schools, we have made local friends and the Abbaye supports local business, from renovation work to our suppliers, to supporting local charities. Not to mention our staff.
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