Château de la Garoupe, Private château near Garoupe Beach in Antibes, France.
Château de la Garoupe is a private estate near Garoupe Beach at the tip of Cap d'Antibes, in Antibes, France. English architect Ernest George designed it with a long façade of half-moon windows and a long stairway leading down to the sea. The garden holds a pergola with 12-metre-high rose bushes, irises and begonias.
The estate was commissioned in 1907 by British MP Charles McLaren and designed by English architect Ernest George. It became an important residence on Cap d'Antibes and has passed through several owners since its creation.
The garden was laid out by Laura McLaren, wife of Charles McLaren, and later tended by the couple's daughter. Its centrepiece was a pergola carrying rose bushes that reached 12 metres, alongside irises and begonias. The house also drew guests such as Cole and Linda Porter and Pablo Picasso, who rented or visited it.
The property is not open to the public, but visitors can view the exterior and grand staircase while walking around Cap d'Antibes. A coastal stroll offers the best views of the building and its surroundings.
In 2015 French courts seized the estate as the proceeds of a money-laundering crime, after more than ten years spent untangling a web of companies set up for Boris Berezovsky. The state sold it in early 2024 to WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum for about 65 million euros.
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