Château de l'Anglais

The Château de l'Anglais stands in Nice as a nineteenth-century building whose unusual form reflects exotic architectural influences. Robert Smith commissioned it between 1856 and 1858. A British colonel and engineer, Smith drew on his experience in India, including work connected with Delhi’s Red Fort. Its merlons recall the Red Fort in Delhi. The estate once extended towards the sea, with towers, belvederes, kiosks, staircases, ornamental lakes, fountains, and many trees. A staircase of two hundred steps leads down towards the sea. Its eclectic neo-Mughal decoration made the building an early example of exotic château architecture in Nice. The former botanical garden is now classified as a historic monument. The château, including its former music-room rotunda, received historic-monument listing in 2000. Later changes closed arcades and altered openings and the original brick-like colour. The building became a condominium after the Second World War, with several private apartments. The château is also sometimes called Folie Smith. The property once contained painted ceilings, salons, boudoirs, a smoking room, and about twelve bedrooms. Its decorative details still show the international influences that shaped Nice’s nineteenth-century architecture.