Villa Melchett, Heritage villa in Migdal, Israel
Villa Melchett is a two-storey whitewashed villa in the English-colonial style, standing alone on the shore of the Sea of Galilee opposite the Migdal colony. It was designed by architects Benjamin Chaikin and Zelik Axelrod, and a fence encloses a large landscaped courtyard around the house. The building is listed as a heritage site by the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel.
In 1921 Alfred Mond, later Lord Melchett, visited Palestine with Chaim Weizmann and toured Moshe Glikin's farm at Migdal. Glikin persuaded him to buy about 200 dunams by the Sea of Galilee, where orchards were planted. Construction of the villa began in 1928 and was likely finished in 1931, after Mond's death. From 1931 to 1939 his daughter, Lady Eva Violet Reading, spent holidays there and hosted David Ben-Gurion, Orde Wingate and Chaim Arlosoroff.
The villa is named after Alfred Mond, Lord Melchett, who bought about 200 dunams by the Sea of Galilee in 1921 after visiting Moshe Glikin's farm at Migdal. His daughter, Lady Eva Violet Reading, spent holidays there between 1931 and 1939 and hosted David Ben-Gurion, Chaim Weizmann, Chaim Arlosoroff and Orde Wingate. Part of the youth series "The Greenhouse" was filmed there between 2012 and 2016.
The villa stands on the shore of the Sea of Galilee opposite Migdal, reached by road along the lake's northwestern edge. The two-storey white house sits inside a fenced, landscaped courtyard, and the site is open to the public for visits, guided tours and events. Groups and events are arranged in advance with the operators.
The villa appears in the Israeli youth series "The Greenhouse" (HaKhamama), filmed here between 2012 and 2016 under director Giora Chamizer. Visitors may recognize the white two-storey house and its fenced garden from the show.
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