Historic of our Domain and the area

The origin of the Domaine Les Magasins dates back to the end of the 18th century. Since 1650 the grounds were the property of 'Les Lordat' seigneur of Bram. Its total area was 39 hectares and the grounds were run by a manager. In 1681, the Canal Royal des Deux Mers (Canal du Midi) was passing just alongside the domain. In 1766, Louise-Marguerite Colbert de Seignelay, widow of Joseph-Marie de Lordat had the idea of taking advantage of the traffic of goods passing every day on the canal at the 'Port de Bram'. She leased to Antoine Barascou, dealer/merchant in Castelnaudary a large area of land in return for building a warehouse 'Magasin' to house grain, wheat, steel and various other goods before loading them onto the barges on the canal. This 'Magasin' was to include accommodation for staff, a courtyard, stables and generally everything needed to run the domain. Building work started but for various reasons the merchant was unable to finish it. After a 6 year long court case (from 1778 to 1784), the Count François de Lordat, got back the domain and finished the work in 1785 under his own plan. Until the second half of the 20th Century, the property did not change a lot. Any changes made were mainly connected with farming needs around the domain. Unfortunately, the property was in a state of ruin when the present owners bought it. However, it is now being renovated to its former glory, mixing original features with a touch of modernism.