Famous French Riviera Chateau up for Sale in Cannes

This exclusive area of Cannes, 'La Croix de la Gardes', blossomed from 1835 when Lord Henry Brougham built the Villa Eléanore-Louise. Two years later, the British General John Taylor built 'ChateauSaint- Georges' just a few steps away from his compatriot. This is how the 'quartier des Anglais' came into being.

In 1919, a Swiss gentleman, Paul Girod, purchased the top of the La Croix des Gardes hill, where he planned and built the magnificent Chateau de la Croix des Gardes. A Florentine style building with 13,000 square feet of living space, the castle sits in 24 acres of landscaped gardens. With a total of 13 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms it is said to be one of the grandest and most exquisite properties on the French Riviera. Also in the grounds are a guest house, staff quarters, an orangery, a large infinity-edged pool, a winter garden and a Turkish lodge. Sitting some 700m above the Bay of Cannes it offers fantastic views.

In 1925 the property was bought by Mr Goldman, the owner of Burma jewels and it remained with him until 1960 when he sold it to the owner of Perrier waters. The castle is probably best known for it's role in Alfred hitchcock's 1055 film, 'To Catch a Theif', starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. This was to be her last film with Hitchcock. She later married Prince Rainier III of Monaco to become Princess Grace of Monaco. Kelly was said to be 'entranced' by the building when they filmed the masquerade ball there.

It was used once again in a film in 1961 when French film director, Alain Resnais, fell in love with the 'Castle of La Croix des Gardes' and used it as the setting of his movie "Last Year in Marienbad".

Now on sale with Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty in Cannes, the property is set to fetch $53.5 million. To find out more about this beautiful property you can view it on this website.