The Institut Universitaire de Technologie is a venerable old institution attached to the University of Nantes. Originally based at Joffre in the historic quartier of St Clément, the IUT left its old home some years ago and relocated to new, high tech premises on the outskirts of town. But not everyone made the move. For some reason two departments, GEA and INFO, were left behind. Left to rattle around in that eerie, half-abandoned site.

But we didn’t mind. Quite the opposite in fact. You see, we’d grown to love the old place, with its creaking windows, its leaking roofs and cracked floors. We loved wandering through its deserted, windswept courtyards and exploring its seemingly endless passageways. But most of all we loved hearing the many myths and legends that had built up around Joffre over the years. (Most of which had been invented by me to be fair).

Now, with the advent of The treeUT Project, we hope a new chapter will be added to the annals of Joffre history. And given the somewhat ‘spooky’ nature of this ancient, legend-haunted site, it is perhaps fitting that the anonymous storeroom we use to keep our seeds, tools and other odds and ends is known, amongst the more superstitious members of staff, as The Phantom’s Bedchamber. . .