Chateau de la Garoupe
This magnificent estate dates from 1907, when British MP Charles McLaren hired an English architect named Ernest George to build the villa.
The plot is over 100,000 m2 and the home is 1,500 m2. It has a long facade with crescent windows and a long staircase leading down to the sea.
The garden has a pergola with 12 meter high rose bushes, irises, and begonias.
Over time, Chateau de la Garoupe has been rented or visited by various celebrities including Cole & Linda Porter and Pablo Picasso.
The house was taken over by McLaren’s daughter Florence and her husband, Sir Henry Norman. Norman expanded the property and added an extra floor to the house.
The Château de la Garoupe was seized by the authorities
In 1999, Chateau de la Garoup was bought by the wealthy Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky for € 22 million.
Following his suicide in 2013, the villa was seized by the authorities. The property has been embroiled in a major legal battle, which also includes another rich and well-known Russian, Roman Abramovich, who along with the airline Aeroflot and the UK Treasury was among the lenders. At his death, Berezovsky left unpaid bills of nearly $ 406 million. The judicial settlement is still not clarified.
Abramovich knows Chateau de la Garoupe very well as he spent the summer of 1997 there with his family as a guest, while still on good terms with Berezovsky. A few years later, Abramovich bought his own exclusive home in the Bay of Billionaires, Chateau de la Croë.
Today, the property is once again privately owned
After being in the possession of the French state for 10 years, the property has in December 2023 been sold to Ukrainian billionaire and WhatsApp founder Jan Koum. The sale price is believed to be 65 million euros.
Closed for the public
The estate is not open to the public, but one encounters the impressive long staircase up to the property on the walk around Cap d’Antibes – Sentier Tirepoil.
Also read about Villa Eilenroc and Château de la Croë
In addition to the Château de la Garoupe, there are two more magnificent historic mansions on the Cap d’Antibes.
One is Villa Eilenroc, which today is open to the public and contains a fantastic garden.
The second is the Château de la Croë, which today is owned by the wealthy Russian Roman Abramovich, who has invested over 33 million euros in the renovation of the mansion.
Read more about the two historic mansions here: Villa Eilenroc & Chateau de la Croë
By Tommy Sverre – 2024
