Château de la Croë, Victorian château in Cap d'Antibes, France
The château stands on eight hectares of coastal grounds, featuring a rooftop swimming pool and direct access to the Mediterranean Sea.
Built in 1927 for Sir Pomeroy Burton, the château became residence to the Duke of Windsor following his abdication from the British throne in 1938.
The property reflects the architectural vision of Armand-Albert Rateau, who integrated Victorian design elements with Mediterranean coastal influences.
The château contains modern additions including a fitness center and cinema in the basement, following extensive renovations completed in 2008.
French authorities seized the property in April 2022 as part of international sanctions, marking a new chapter in its ownership history.
Location: Antibes
Inception: 1927
Architects: Armand-Albert Rateau
Architectural style: Victorian architecture
GPS coordinates: 43.54605,7.13413
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:38
Between the ramparts of the old town and the pines of Cap d'Antibes, this seaside resort on the French Riviera preserves an architectural heritage spanning eight centuries. Grimaldi Castle, a 12th-century fortress turned Picasso’s first museum in 1946, overlooks the seafront from Place du Safranier. Further south, Fort Carré stands with its four bastions on a 26-meter-high (85 ft) rocky promontory, built in 1565 to defend the border between France and the Duchy of Savoy. Cap d'Antibes features about twenty residences built from the late 19th century through the interwar period. Villa Eilenroc (1867) covers 27 acres with French-style gardens and a rose garden facing the sea. Château de la Croë (1927) once hosted the Duke of Windsor and is now a private estate. Notable visitors included Anatole France, who resided in Villa Soleil, and Karl Lagerfeld in the 1990s. Villa Thuret, established in 1857 by botanist Gustave Thuret, currently hosts a research garden of the INRAE with 2,500 plant species suited to Mediterranean conditions. Modernist architecture is represented by Villa Aujourd'hui (1938), a rare example of geometric design from the 1930s on the Côte d'Azur.
Hotel du Cap
1.1 km
Villa Eilenroc
320 m
La Garoupe lighthouse
2 km
Château de la Garoupe
542 m
Notre Dame de la Garoupe
2 km
Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret
2.1 km
Plage de la promenade du soleil
3.1 km
Sentier littoral du Cap d'Antibes
152 m
Plage Keller
938 m
Villa Aujourd'hui
1.3 km
Bastion Saint-André
3.5 km
Plage des Ondes
1.3 km
Plage de la Garoupe
957 m
Plage de Ponteil
3.1 km
Plage Gallice
2.4 km
Musée d'archéologie d'Antibes
3.6 km
Église Saint-Benoît, Antibes
1 km
Sentier du littoral
941 m
Night Fishing at Antibes (replica)
3.6 km
Plage de la pinède
2.8 km
Phare de l'Ilette
1.1 km
Plage de la Base de Voile
2.9 km
Synagogue d'Antibes
2.8 km
Scenic viewpoint
3.3 km
Eglise Notre-Dame-de-la-Pinède, Juan-les-Pins
2.7 km
Plage de la Salis, Antibes
2.8 km
Temple protestant du Cap d'Antibes
740 m
Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs
2 kmReviews
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