Villa Aigue-Marine, villa in Royan, France

Villa Aigue-Marine is a large stone villa built in 1910 at 100 boulevard Frédéric-Garnier in Royan. Its light beige and grey mottled facade rises to a steep dark grey slate roof, and a tall round tower with a conical roof and lantern finial projects on the right. Tall rectangular windows with stone surrounds, a small balcony and a glass-and-metal entrance canopy mark the main facade.

Léon Lehmann junior commissioned the villa in 1910 on boulevard Saint-Georges, now boulevard Frédéric-Garnier, to plans by Parisian architect Henri Deglane. Sold in 1924 to operetta librettist Albert Willemetz, it passed to the Quillery family in 1934 and stayed intact through the Royan bombings of January and April 1945. Too large for the family, it was sold in 1958 and divided into ten apartments.

The villa carries the nickname 'Petit Chambord-sur-Mer', reflecting its size and architectural style. It represents the lifestyle of wealthy families who settled by the coast to enjoy the beach and sun during the Belle Époque period.

The property is privately owned and can only be viewed from the outside, though the exterior is easily accessible from Boulevard Garnier. Visitors can appreciate the building's architecture and gardens from the street without entering the grounds.

The villa's size earned it the nickname "le Petit Chambord sur Mer", a reference to the Château de Chambord. In 1924 it was bought by Albert Willemetz, librettist of operettas, who hosted his childhood friend Sacha Guitry and Guitry's wife Yvonne Printemps there.