Château de la Croë, Cap d'Antibes: the story of a Riviera landmark

Cap d'Antibes and the Villa Eilenroc

The Château de la Croë is located on Cap d'Antibes, a highly prestigious part of the French Riviera between Nice and Cannes. It sits close to the Villa Eilenroc, built in 1867 by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opéra. Eilenroc has hosted figures such as King Leopold II of the Belgians, King Farouk of Egypt, Aristotle Onassis, and Greta Garbo.

Construction of the château

The history of the Château de la Croë is likewise rich in famous names and notable events. It was built in 1927, in a strict Victorian style, for an English aristocrat named Sir William Pomeroy Burton, chairman of Associated Newspapers Limited. The architect behind this remarkable residence was Armand Albert Rateau, who built the property on a 7-hectare estate stretching down to the sea. The estate also includes extensive staff outbuildings, bringing the total surface area to over 3,000 m². Sir William Pomeroy Burton was no stranger to the French Riviera, as he also owned the Villa Barbara in Cap Martin.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

In 1938, the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, and his wife became the owners. Having fallen in love with the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 and left England to marry her. When she moved into the château, then rented, the Duchess spent considerable sums recreating a setting worthy of her husband's royal habits. The most luxurious furniture, along with silverware and porcelain, was imported from England. The layout of the villa, comprising 12 bedrooms, was substantially altered, though the Duchess kept the gilded, swan-shaped bathtub. Subsequent owners adapted the villa to their own tastes, and the bathtub eventually disappeared over time.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor hosted lavish receptions there, welcoming crowned heads and political elites, including Winston Churchill. The couple eventually tired of the property, however, and settled in Paris. In 1952, the château was acquired by Greek shipowner Stavros Niarchos.

The villa comprises, in addition to spacious reception rooms on the ground floor, eight master suites with their own bathrooms, as well as six staff bedrooms. At its peak, the estate employed 33 people.

From ruin to renaissance

Around 1970, the estate was ravaged by a major fire that destroyed both the house and the surrounding trees, and the château then stood neglected for around three decades. An extensive restoration, completed in 2008, has since completely transformed the Château de la Croë: the work returned the residence to its original beauty and grandeur while bringing it firmly into the present, with modern additions such as a rooftop swimming pool, a gym and a cinema. Nearly a century after it was built, it once again ranks among the most remarkable residences on Cap d'Antibes, a lasting symbol of the golden age of the Riviera.

This article was written for historical purposes about the château.

It does not constitute a property listing.