Ferdinand Cheval had been beset by dreams of a fairytale palace for a long time, but it was not until he had reached the age of 43 that he decided to start building it. He was a postman, with no architectural or artistic background. While on his round, he would collect stones to use for the walls, pinnacles and gargoyles in his garden, and this work continued for 33 years. In 1969 his work of art was designated a Monument Historique by André Malraux, who said of it: "It would be childish not to designate the the world's only example of naïve art architecture".