A belle époque villa with a garden and an unrivalled sea view
on the Mediterranean coast between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes
on the Mediterranean coast between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes
Saint-Raphaël,
VAR
provence-cote-dazur
83700
FR
Location
Le Dramont is a beautiful headland beside a cove on the Mediterranean Sea. This enchanting spot lies between the bays of Agay and Saint-Raphaël. It is dotted with grand, elegant houses – tokens of the belle époque, when many artists, industrialists and aristocrats settled on this idyllic coastline of red rock. The landscape is punctuated with rocky beaches and rugged inlets. Before the rail network reached this corner of southern France, Le Dramont was an unspoilt expanse of pines, heather, rockroses and myrtle, edged by a sparkling sea. When a railway from Paris to the Mediterranean coast was built, property investors acquired plots along this prized shore. One of these buyers was a certain Monsieur Marchand, an engineer who helped build the Paris metro. In 1907, he had this splendid villa built here. The high-speed train station in the town of Saint-Raphaël is 13 minutes from the property. And Nice airport is 1 hour and 10 minutes away from the villa by car.
Description
The villa lies in the middle of a terraced garden of around 3,000m² that stretches down to the famous Corniche d’Or coastal road. A caretaker’s house stands at the plot’s north-west corner where it leads onto a road that runs behind the property. The main entrance door leading into the house is in the villa’s rear elevation, on the first floor. You reach it via a bridge from the garden. The plot originally extended on both sides of the famous Corniche d’Or coastal road all the way down to the beach. An orange grove was planted on the sea side and an underground passage was built beneath the road for easy access to the beach. The enclosing wall that demarcates the property is built with the same pattern of stonework as the villa’s elevations. Double-pear balusters crown this wall. A magnificent wrought-iron entrance gate leads into the property from the Corniche d’Or coastal road. A swimming pool lies behind the villa in one part of the vast garden.
The villa bears the hallmarks of work by a civil engineer: it is clear that the architectural choices and construction techniques were carefully considered. The floors are built of reinforced concrete, which ensures solidity and structural stability. The villa’s elevations, terraces and retaining walls are built of Sospel stone laid in an opus incertum pattern. Each block of stone was shaped into an irregular hexagon, which gives the property a unique character. The elevations distinctly reflect art nouveau aesthetics. The influence of the famous French designer Hector Guimard, who was a prominent figure of the art nouveau movement, can clearly be seen in the villa’s general style and sculpted details. This particular design adds historical and artistic value to the property. And the many balconies, terraces and loggias of the dwelling give the villa visual force and create harmony between the interior and the exterior.
The villa bears the hallmarks of work by a civil engineer: it is clear that the architectural choices and construction techniques were carefully considered. The floors are built of reinforced concrete, which ensures solidity and structural stability. The villa’s elevations, terraces and retaining walls are built of Sospel stone laid in an opus incertum pattern. Each block of stone was shaped into an irregular hexagon, which gives the property a unique character. The elevations distinctly reflect art nouveau aesthetics. The influence of the famous French designer Hector Guimard, who was a prominent figure of the art nouveau movement, can clearly be seen in the villa’s general style and sculpted details. This particular design adds historical and artistic value to the property. And the many balconies, terraces and loggias of the dwelling give the villa visual force and create harmony between the interior and the exterior.
The villa
The south-east-facing facade offers a view of Agay bay and features a curved loggia at the garden level. This loggia was once open but has now been closed up. At the front of this protruding loggia, there are three central arches formed by white marble columns. These arches are framed between two spaces that are set back and that look out through Venetian windows with circular openings above them. Above the loggia, there is a terrace edged with double-pear balusters. The windows on the first floor are framed between corbels embellished with volutes and foliage beneath ovolo mouldings. These decorative features create a rich sculpted display.
The second-floor windows are in openings of two arches separated by a small column, set back from curved balconies edged with finely carved balusters and blocks. Between these windows, blue panels adorned with pink foliage motifs add an elegant ornamental dimension to the facade.
The use of pediments, circular windows, small columns and floral motifs is typical of the art nouveau style. Special attention has been given to the decorative details. The hipped roof has long slopes of interlocking red tiles. The eaves rest upon curved corbels. The entablature is made up of a cornice of mouldings embellished with sculpted concrete leaves and spheres and a decorative band of finely carved concrete rose garlands and ribbons on a blue painted background.
The garden level
At the back of the villa, beneath the main entrance door, a porch leads into the ground floor. On this level, wood flooring extends across some rooms and floor tiles adorn others. On its right, the entrance hall connects to a kitchen leading to a terrace and to a bathroom with a lavatory. And on its left, this hallway connects to a corridor leading to two bedrooms, a shower room and a lavatory.
Further on, there is a lounge that connects to a bedroom and there is a living room with a fireplace that connects to a spare room currently serving as a bedroom.
Lastly, you reach a vast living room with wood strip flooring and painted walls that takes up the curved loggia, which originally led straight out into the garden.
The first floor
A bridge outside with a flight of steps leads to the house’s main entrance door in the rear elevation. This main door takes you into the first floor. You step into a landing that connects to two distinct spaces: the first-floor apartment and a staircase that leads up to the second-floor apartment.
In the first-floor apartment, wood flooring extends across some rooms and floor tiles adorn others. On its right, the entrance hall connects to a kitchen and a shower room with a lavatory. On its left, this hallway takes you to a corridor with cupboards. This corridor leads to a first room on the west side and a second one on the north side, a lavatory, a bathroom and, lastly, a third bedroom in line with the apartment’s lounge and dining area. The latter three rooms have glazed doors that lead out onto the terrace, which looks down over the garden and offers an unrivalled sea view.
The second floor
The second-floor apartment starts with an entrance hall. On its right, this hallway connects to a large kitchen and a utility room. On its left, a corridor leads to two bedrooms. One bedroom looks out at the garden at the back of the villa. The other one is a master bedroom that leads out onto the balcony. A lounge with a dining area also leads out onto the main balcony via two sets of French windows and to a secondary balcony on the house’s west side. Wood strip flooring originally adorned this level. Today, carpets cover the floors. From the lounge with a dining area, a staircase leads up to a mezzanine and a bedroom beneath a sloping attic ceiling with its own shower room.
The caretaker’s house
The caretaker’s house stands at the north-west corner of the property. It leads straight out onto a road that runs behind the villa. A garage lies beneath the small dwelling, forming its ground floor. The upstairs section has been turned into a two-floor apartment and a studio apartment. The two-floor apartment has a separate kitchen, a bedroom and a lounge with a dining area. Wood strip flooring extends across all the rooms. At the garden level, the apartment also has a tiled shower room with a lavatory. A terrace edges the apartment. The top level has a bedroom and a shower room with a lavatory. The studio apartment has three tiled rooms: a kitchen, a lounge and a shower room with a lavatory.
The garden
The garden offers an outdoor area of around 3,000m². It is a terraced garden that faces the sea and stretches down to the Corniche d’Or coastal road. Steps and pergolas have been built on it. This delightful haven is dotted with pines, palms, oaks, olive trees, a mulberry tree, oleanders, mimosas and other plants that are typical of Mediterranean vegetation. They adorn the property with lush greenery. Behind the house, the garden is flat. An infinity pool has been built in this flat section. This swimming pool has an original shape and covers around 50m². It is set in a poolside area of pointed stonework, surrounded by shrubs and trees.
Our opinion
This magnificent belle époque villa immerses you in the dawn of the 20th century and all its splendour. It is discreetly tucked away in an idyllic backdrop where the rocky mountains of the Massif de l'Estérel meet the glimmering blue water of the Mediterranean Sea. The grand dwelling is a silent witness of a bygone age. It is now waiting for a new owner to restore its past glory. The villa’s ideal location is perhaps its most precious asset. The Massif de l’Estérel mountain range, which extends behind the property, offers winding footpaths, sweeping vistas and enchanting scrubland. It forms a remarkable natural environment for this splendid home, which is a stone’s throw from the sparkling Mediterranean Sea and its beaches of fine golden sand. The villa could be renovated in a way that respects its long history yet adapts the dwelling to modern life. Its garden could be redeveloped tastefully to bring back its original beauty. Such a revamp would turn this gem into a unique haven for an investor with a professional project or simply a large family looking for a special home.
Reference 875816
| Land registry surface area | 2974 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 476.04 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 10 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 117.79 m2 |
| including refurbished area | 87.79 m2 |
| Number of lots | 15 |
Aucune procédure en cours menée sur le fondement des articles 29-1 A et 29-1 de la loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965 et de l’article L.615-6 du CCH
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
