AMB Cote d'Azur

It is a sad fact of life that Nice is very under-rated. The other day I accidentally overheard a Cannes taxi-man discussing with some American tourists what was worth seeing on the French Riviera: "Monaco is an absolute must, and Cannes' is magnifique, but I wouldn't bother with Nice as there's not much to see there apart from the market - and there's one just as good here in Cannes."  Only my very British reserve prevented me from clobbering him and stepping in to dismiss his utter nonsense. Mind you, it's a fair old trot from Cannes to Monaco so he was probably counting the Euros that would fall into his lap with the cost of that journey . . .

But my reaction to his remark made me realise just how protective I'd become of Nice and found that feeling interesting. It also made me realise it was high time I wrote about this city and explained why I find it so fascinating.

First and foremost I am mesmerised by the sheer magnificence of the Baie des Anges and the striking turquoise colour of the Mediterranean Sea, that must be seen to be believed. I also simply love the deep narrow streets of Old Nice with their diversity of boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, cafés, impressive churches with their glazed-tiled domes, and the bustling farmer's market in Cours Saleya.

I'm fascinated by the few remaining Belle-Epoque villas and historic buildings that add beauty and character to this city, as well as the many wonderful façades painted in Sardinian red, dark ochre, or old rose, with their brightly painted wooden shutters. And, lastly, I adore uncovering tiny nuggets of information that are carefully tucked away, waiting to be discovered.

Nice is the city of music, culture and art, of museums, festivals and events. It is equally a city of business, commerce and trade, attracting thousands of tourists, businessmen and artists from around the world.  It also has a heart and soul for it has suffered from a turbulent past.

The Promenade des Anglais
If time is of the essence most people are quite content just visiting Cours Saleya with its lovely open-air market, strolling down the narrow streets of Old Nice and stopping for a moment in front of Saint-Réparate's Cathedral on place Rossetti. Time permitting they may even manage to squeeze in a short walk along the Promenade des Anglais and take in the magnificent view of the Baie des Anges. But if they had more time . . .

While I will discuss the history of the Promenade des Anglais and Baie des Anges in detail later on in this article, suffice to say for now that the Promenade was originally created to offer a pleasant stroll along the Baie des Anges for the English gentry in the 19th century.

To me it is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever seen. Its beauty lies in its beautiful sweeping curve that starts from Nice Airport all the way to Old Nice. In fact, if you count the prolongation of Quai des Etats-Unis, Rauba-Capeu and across to the Port as well as the modifications the municipality has done adding a better bicycle and footpath to Nice airport you have an uninterrupted and fantastic walk of over 7 km.

However, on a crystal clear day, the views you'll actually see stretch much further, nearly 10 km in all on either side. On the eastern side you have views of the peninsular of Cap Ferrat,  the range of Massifs such as Mount Boron, Alban, Vinaigrier, Leuze, Gros as well as the spectacular pre-Alps. On the western side you'll have views towards Nice airport, the peninsular of Cap d'Antibes and Estérel mountains in the far distance.

Personally, I think the best view of the Baie des Anges is going from west to east as you get to see the full curve of the bay. This way you keep the Mediterranean Sea on your right while experiencing vantage points along the way: Belle-Epoque villas and hotels, modern apartment buildings, restaurants, bistrots and parks, all masterly set against an enormous open azur sky and interspersed with palm trees, brightly coloured bougainvillaea, enormous aloes, scented jasmine and other wonderful Mediterranean vegetation.

The Promenade, and its main thoroughfare, has changed enormously over the years and, indeed, when I came to writing this article, renovation work was being carried out to further widen the bicycle path midway on the Promenade. Depending on which part of the Promenade you are, it can be anywhere between 5 and 15 metres wide, making this dark pink tarmac surface (similar to La Croisette in Cannes) perfect for pedestrians, cyclists, roller-bladers and joggers. Nice has close to 350,000 inhabitants and the Promenade's thoroughfare is sadly one of the main arteries in and out of the city. To-date it consists of three lanes of traffic on either side of a central reservation, itself decorated with enormous palm trees, oleander shrubs, massive Bird of Paradise plants and a variety of other colourful shrubs. 65,000 cars use it every day.

The Promenade des Anglais has always been legendary for its opulent palaces and beautiful villas. Sadly, in 1925 they began to be pulled down, one by one, as the municipality's building planners decided to offer a maximum of lodgings to a maximum of people. While it is true that some of the tall and vast concrete apartment blocks were unattractive, others were unique in style and can still be found today. As you admire some wonderful Belle-Epoque villas and hotels, take a moment to also look at some exceptional 1950s buildings.

For example, Les Loggias located at No. 87 built in 1947 by the architect Georges Dikansky is considered a classic in its style and one of his best designs.  Le Capitole (No. 51) built between 1948 and 1959 is another Dikansky creation. Palais de France was built in 1948 by Livieri and caused some argument as it protruded further out than its neighbour Le Palais de la Méditerranée.  The Savoy-Palace (No. 3) was built in 1951 by Aubert on the same site where the Hotel Savoy and le Cercle de la Méditerranée had previously existed.

By the 1960s, real estate investors carried out further demolitions and more wonderful Belle-Epoque palaces and villas were lost forever to make way for glass fronted modern apartment buildings, offices and hotels. While I lament the loss of these majestic homes, some of the ultra modern buildings at Nice Arénas are truly worthy of attention.

One in particular is the Hotel Novotel, or rather the very striking multi-coloured plastic artform (apparently the biggest one in the world) measuring 34 metres high, that can be seen stuck to the side of one of its walls. It is called Dissémination and was created by Jean-Claude Fahri in 1990 who very cleverly made it appear to detach itself from the wall in defiance of the laws of gravity.

I'm rather embarrassed to say that I've always seen this sculpture from afar (mostly from Terminal 1's car park) and thus only managed to see the top part of it. However, for the purposes of this article I actually went across the road to photography it properly - and then realized, of course, that in fact it's a brilliant take of someone escalading the side of a wall.

It is said that during a visit by Bill Gates here in 1994 he was so taken by the sculpture that he signed a contract with Jean-Claude Fahri for a similar monumental work for his residence in Seattle two years later. Fahri's masterful work with discs and columns have earned him a retrospective at the Maeght Foundation as well as a presence at several Biennials in Venice.

Before we begin there is one last sculpture that I think is great fun and while not really part of the Promenade des Anglais, is linked to Nice airport which, in some ways, is the perfect thoroughfare. It is located on Rond-Point Le Voyageur and of course called Le Voyageur. It was created by Max Cartier in 1996 out of stone and iron bars and measures 7 metres high and weighs a massive 40 tons. He has a similar sculpture, but much smaller, just next to Scruples, the English bookshop in Monaco.

Finally I should draw your attention to two items which may catch your eye at the start of the Promenade des Anglais. The first is found close to the green, though somewhat "see-through" airport fencing at the end of the airport runway, where all the business jets are parked. As you pass you should just make out the words "Aéroport International Nice-Cote d'Azur" in large capital letters on the vertical fin of a Caravelle, and a pleasant reminder of an earlier and less hectic flying age. It is today fitted out as a Video library.

The second also concerns an aeroplane, but carries a decidedly more sombre memory as it is the stele commemorating the disaster of flight Ajaccio-Nice on the 11th September 1968. The Caravelle was just approaching Cap d'Antibes and only 4 minutes away from landing at Nice airport at 10h33 that morning when it crashed into the sea. 95 people (89 passengers and 6 crew members) lost their lives. It is still the worst aerial catastrophe Nice airport has ever known since its creation in 1946.

The stele was erected the 11th September 1998 in the Jardin Ferber located between the end of the airport and the start of the Promenade des Anglais. In 2004 two marble plates were added engraved with the names of all 95 victims. Although the file has been officially closed with a open-end verdict, to this very day the families of those lost at sea are still trying to reopen the file and claim compensation. As a byline, the garden is named after Captain Ferdinand Ferber (1862-1909) an artillery officer with an absolute passion for flying who heavily promoted this new science. After numerous experimental flights in Nice he was killed while attempting to land at Boulogne-sur-Mer. A monument was erected in his honour in 1911, as was the creation of the garden as close as possible to the airport.

Interestingly, this stele also marks the beginning of the Promenade des Anglais as the pathway (though looking exactly the same) from Nice airport to this point is actually called Promenade Edouard Corniglion-Molinier.  

Born in Nice in 1898, Corniglion-Molinier interrupted his law studies to voluntarily sign up and join the Chasseur Alpins in World War I (he lied about his age).  Once the war ended he became a journalist and cinema producer as well as a good friend to several artists, notably Nicolas de Staël. At the outbreak of World War II, despite his advancing years, he became a fighter pilot and distinguished himself numerous times in aerial combat. Enlisting in the Résistance he was captured yet managed to escape and made his way to London where he took command of the Free French aerial forces.  After the Allied landing he was promoted to Commandant supérieur overseeing the Atlantic Air Force. Back in civilian clothes, he returned to cinema production and journalism, beginning a brilliant career in politics, and was quickly elected Senator. His personality and drive found him in a succession of important governmental positions and heading numerous projects: the Estérel-Cote d'Azur motorway is one of them. He died in 1963 from a heart attack.

Our discovery begins
With the airport (and my various diversions) safely behind us, we begin our journey on the western side of the Baie des Anges.  We start at No. 139 with the very charming Villa Collin-Huovilan.

Villa Collin-Huovilan
This is one of my all-time favourites and I can still remember my astonishment at finding such a wonderful home almost devoured on either side by high-rise buildings. Out of hundreds of villas that once existed on the Promenade des Anglais, this is the last remaining survivor of a time when villas like these were built on very tiny plots of land.

Plans for this amazing Art Nouveau building with its curved façade, polychrome ceramic decorations and impressive red roof shaped like a Samourai's hat, were drawn up by Marius Allinge in 1907 for Carl  Constantin Collin (1863-1941), an eccentric Finnish millionaire. The corner carytid sculpture, created by François Louis Virieux, is a delightful scene showing a young lady playfully trying to avoid a shower of roses from two cherubs.  

In 1919 the villa was bought by Madame Nicolaïeff, the mother-in-law of Auguste Maïcon, the French aviator who became famous for flying his bi-plane under the Var Bridge in 1919. This was actually quite a remarkable act of "daring-do" as the arched bridge was 20 metres wide and 6 metres high and Maïcon's plane had a 14 metre wingspan and was 4 metres high.  

The villa has changed owners a few times over the years but apart from some renovation work, both inside and outside the building, it has kept its remarkable style and name.

Continuing on our route we next journey to the Palais de l'Agriculture located 113 Promenade des Anglais and the headquarters of the Société d'Agriculture, d'Horticulture et d'Acclimatation de Nice et des Alpes-Maritimes.

Palais de l'Agriculture
This building, designed by Paul Martin, an engineer and General Secretary of the Society, was built in 1900 and shows the distinct neo-classical style so prevalent at the time. This creamy white building, decorated with pedimental windows, ornamental mouldings and friezes, consists of a central fronton flanked by two smaller wings.  Again, the plot of land is fairly small and mostly taken up by the building itself ,although a few small palm trees and shrubs add a touch of greenery, while a wide marble staircase leads up to the main entrance.  

The Palais de l’Agriculture was inaugurated on 8 April 1901 by Emile François Loubet, the French President.  And thus the building has remained, surviving two world wars and escaping demolition or modernisation, only to fall into a sad almost derelict state; for a while large nets were placed around the sides of the building to capture any free-falling masonry. But in 2005 plans were drawn up to save this building from further decline and I’m glad to report that “the builders are in” and renovations are presently underway.

The Society was created in 1860 and counted amongst its members and benefactors the Grande Duchesse Hélène of Russia, the Prince of Monaco, Charles III, Baron de Rothschild and the Mayor of Nice. Its primary aim was the study of plants and animals brought back from various expeditions around the world. By the 1920s their research had inspired many horticulturists to increase and diversify their production, thus ranking Nice second in the world for the production of cut flowers. The Society continues to be very active today with outings, conferences and garden visits, as well as offering advice on the many different aspects of gardening on the French Riviera.

Continuing further, we come to a charming, rather squarish pale pink and white building, originally called Villa Guiglia, but better known as le Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen. It's located at No. 65 on the promenade.

Villa Guiglia
Compared to our previous building, Villa Guiglia is absolutely pristine in appearance, with clean lines and a look of fresh paint about it.  While I was taking photographs to accompany this article, I nearly missed this villa and it was only the pretty white marble statue, on its very neat grey and white pebbled forecourt, that caught my eye.

The villa was designed by the notable Niçois architect, Roger Séassal, and was once the residence of Charles Frédérik Spang, a rather rich industrialist in the steel business, who sold his business to the Carnegie Empire and then retired to Nice. It was later the property of Count Guiglia who gave it its name and also bequeathed it to the city of Nice. Much like the stunning Palais de la Méditerranée, only the façade and entrance have been preserved. The municipality first used the building as a training college for the hotel trade until it became the CUM in December 1933, when Paul Valéry was appointed its Director.

Our next visit is not to a villa but a commemorative plaque indicating the position of the Villa Romanoff-Bashkirtzeff that was pulled down in 1923. The white marble plaque, slightly hidden by surrounding shrubbery, is located just next to the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen. Large capital letters state that here once stood the villa where Marie Bashkirtseff (1860-1884) commenced writing her journals.  

Formerly owned by the Romanoff family, in 1873 Marie’s mother chose the villa as its spaciousness could accommodate their family, cousins, governesses, chambermaids and teachers who made up their vast household. It was also the setting for the romance between Marie Bashkirtzeff and Emile Audiffret, as well as her platonic relationship with Guy de Maupassant. She was an exceptionally gifted painter and sculptor, although it is for her journals (which she began keeping at the age of 13) that she is most famous. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.

Just a few steps further away can be found another commemorative marble plaque although this one conveys rather chilling undercurrents.  It is dedicated to Théodor Wolff who was arrested and deported to Germany where he died in 1943. Wolff was a German Jew. He was a correspondent and later editor-in-chief of the “Berliner Tageblatt”.  Although reporting competently on French politics, economics and French society his liberal political attitude and essays on Anti-Semitism drew attention from the political right. When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Wolff immigrated to France and found refuge in Villa Furtado-Heine in Nice. In 1943 he was exposed by the French police, subsequently arrested by the Italian police and handed over to the Gestapo. He died under torture in Germany.

The somber grey marble plaque is attached to the gates of Villa Furtado-Heine, one of the oldest villas remaining on the Promenade des Anglais. It’s located at No. 61 and is our next stop.

Villa Furtado-Heine
This is a superb neo-classical construction: two storeys high with a small attic above, crowned by a triangular fronton and built for Lady Penelope Rivers (née Atkins) in 1787.  However, in 1789 Nice became a center of counter-revolutionary activity and the Southern Army (Armée du Midi) of the French Republic entered Nice on 29 September 1792.  With fighting all around her, Lady Rivers found herself in mortal danger and fled back to England abandoning the villa and the entirety of her belongings.  Confiscated and later occupied for 15 years by the Southern Army, the building became public property in 1800 and was sold to a wealthy property owner, Sébastien Grandis.

Grandis subsequently rented the villa out to wealthy winter residents such as Pauline Borhèse, Napoleon’s sister, and Marie-Louise de Bourbon-Parme. It was to change hands several times more before being bought by Louis Guiglia, President to the Senate of Nice, and in 1860 by Auguste Carlone, banker and founder of the Echo des Alpes-Maritimes newspaper. On his death the building was bought by the Russian, Henri Krohn, and then in 1883 by Cécile Charlotte Furtado-Heine, the daughter of a Parisian banker and wealthy widow of Salomon Heine, who gave it its name.  At her instigation and working with the architect Sébastien-Marcel Biasini, the building of an additional floor and the construction of a very imposing wrought-iron entrance gate were implemented.

Her wealth and very kind nature prompted her to finance the acquisition of an ambulance to transport soldiers wounded in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and she subsequently bequeathed her villa to the Ministry of War in 1895 so it could be transformed into a convalescence and retirement home for sick and injured officers. This generous act earned her the Legion of Honour.  It has remained so ever since and is sometimes referred to as the “Villa des Officiers”. The villa and its park were classified an Historic Monument in 1961.

We have one last villa to look at before we come to the most celebrated icon of the Promenade des Anglais, if not the French Riviera – the Negresco Hotel. Before we do, let’s quickly look at another very charming villa located at No. 55, which once belonged to the Count and Countess Starzinky.

Villa Starzinsky
The villa was designed and built in 1873 for the Count and Countess Starzinky by the architect Sébastien-Marcel Biasini. Its pretty façade was decorated with four muses which are still visible today. In 1912 the villa was bought by Edouard Dumont who enlarged the villa by adding extra floors. It was next bought by the Buffon family. As a byline, it should be noted that Biasini was a very popular Niçois architect and designed 50 villas including Villa Les Palmiers in Nice, Villas Fructidor and Beau-Site on Mont-Boron, as well as planning and developing the district of Cimiez and the colossal Excelsior Regina Hotel, which you'll discover in Part II of my article.

If you’re interested in sculptures, you may like to see a rather impressive one that adorns the side of the Sheraton Elysée-Palace just round the corner on rue Honoré Sauvan and said to represent Juno, or Hera, queen of the gods.  

This very modern hotel was built in 1987 and has a stunning 26 metres tall bronze statue by the Niçois artist Sacha Sosno.  It is an impressive tour de force. I can't make up my mind if this voluptuous creature is shyly peeping out from her hiding place, or holding back the granite blocks she seems to be encased in.

Sosno's real name is Alexandre Sosnowsky. He was born in 1937 in Riga (Estonia) to a Baltic father and a Niçoise mother. In 1945 the family settled in an apartment at the Excelsoir Regina Hotel where in 1948, they would meet their next door neighbour, Henri Matisse.

After studying for several years in Paris, Sosno returned to Nice before making a trip round the world (1974-1977) on his yacht, Go West, were he began his first sculpture sketches. Returning to France for a year, he then traveled to India in 1978 to complete his first works in bronze.  Today he lives and works in Bellet, in the hills above Nice, where he has settled in the heart of a vineyard.

As you further explore Nice with us, you’ll come across another of Sosno’s sculptures:  La Tete Carrée (a 10,600² square head) which houses the Louis Nucèra Library located Place Yves Klein and if you look carefully when leaving the Arénas car park after visiting either Parc Floral Phoenix or the Musée des Arts Asiatiques, you'll find another of his sculptures - this time a small bronze head of Juno caught between two small blocks of granite.

Our detour over, let's now discover one of the most mythical buildings on the French Riviera - the Negresco Hotel.

Hôtel Negresco
Located No. 35 promenade des Anglais, this is probably one of the most celebrated, photographed and filmed buildings in Nice. It was built on the site of the former Sacré-Coeur convent managed by nuns from the order of "Fidèles Compagnes de Jésus" (founded in Amiens, France, in 1820).  With the financial assistance of Alexandre Darracq (1855-1931), a wealthy automobile industrialist, this beautiful neo-Louis XVI style hotel was designed by the Dutch architect Edouard-Jean Niermans (1859-1928), famous for having designed Le Moulin Rouge in Paris. Sculptures by Michel de Tarnowsky adorn the façade.

The front of the building is the most prestigious, with a colossal central body flanked by two lateral rotundas. The rotunda on the east side is crested with a dome, sheltering the main entrance. The cupola in the main lounge was designed by Gustave Eiffel.  It is a striking building, made more so by its dusky pink tiled roof that can be seen from afar.

It was built for the Romanian, Henri Negrescu (1868-1920). Negrescu, the son of a Romanian inn keeper who began his apprenticeship as a baker's boy at the Hotel Capcha in Bucharest, before setting out and working his way up at different hotels around Europe.  By 1902 he had arrived in Nice but feeling his name sounded too foreign, he changed it to Negresco. His expertise was such that he quickly became the director of the Helder restaurant in Monaco where he enchanted his rich and demanding clients with his gourmet's talents, before brilliantly directing the municipal casino in Nice. Such was his talent that he was head-hunted by Alexandre Darracq and offered the position of director.

The hotel's construction began in 1910 and ended with a triumphant inauguration in December 1913 attended by Royalty, numerous Heads of State and a host of celebrities who continued to grace this marvellous hotel for many years. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 caused the hotel to be requisitioned and turned into a military hospital until the end of hostilities (as were the Majestic, the Rhul, the Royal, and Régina to the effect that by December 1914, Nice totalled 6,000 military hospital beds out of the 11,861 available in the Alpes-Maritimes). Lack of any business during those difficult years caused severe financial difficulties for Henri Negresco and the hotel was seized by creditors. By 1918 he was a ruined man. Two years later he died in Paris of cancer.  He was 52.

Personally I am rather at a loss over this story as it seems to me that Negresco was somewhat made the scapegoat for the financial ruin of the hotel. Surely such a dynamic, enterprising and self-made man, head-hunted for his skills, would have found a solution, especially in the light of the fact that the other hotels survived and went on to prosper with the en masse return of tourists shortly afterwards. If anyone should have suffered financial difficulties one would have expected it to have been Darracq. I'm also surprised that the War Ministry did not compensate the hotel's investors for the requisitioning of their hotel. Still, it all makes for a cracking good yarn.

After the war years and with the demise of Henri Negresco, the hotel was taken over by Belgian interests under the direction of another self-made man, George Marquet, a magnet in the European hotel trade and director of the Claridge Hotel in Paris. Financial assistance was again provided by Alexandre Darracq who had by then retired to the French Riviera. During the 1950s part of the northern end of the hotel was sold off and transformed into apartments. In 1957 Paul Augier (1912-1995) became the Negresco's administrator -  the hotel had just been been acquired by his father-in-law's financial group. Upon Paul's death, his wife Jeanne took over the reins and continues running this luxury hotel today. It was declared a French landmark in 1974 and proclaimed a National Historic Monument in 2003.

Outside the hotel’s main entrance you’ll find a super, three metres tall statue of Miles Davis. This beautiful work of art, made from polyurethane foam and resin inlaid with coloured glass and mirrors, was created by the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle in 1999 and later displayed in the "Exposition Niki de Saint Phalle - Rétrospective" held in 2002 in Nice. While some of her creations were on show inside the Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, her larger pieces where displayed on Quai des Etats-Unis.

With some reluctance we leave this marvellous hotel behind, but I do recommend you return there either for lunch or partake of afternoon tea in one of their lounges. You will experience luxury, exquisite service and magnificent decor, while creating wonderful memories for you to cherish.  

Now let’s make the short walk (we cross the road) to reach an impressive, almost colonial-style, historical building and its delightful Mediterranean park. You have reached the Palais Masséna (otherwise known as Musée Masséna) at No. 35 on the Promenade des Anglais.

Palais Masséna
The Palais was built between 1899 and 1901 on the site of the former Diesbach villa that was built in 1861. In 1898 Count Diesbach decided to sell the villa to Victor Masséna who didn’t hesitate to pull it down to construct a new residence in its place.  Victor Masséna, 4th Duke of Rivioli and 5th Prince of Essling, and grandson of Maréchal André Masséna, had been inspired by the Villa Rothschild that he and his family had rented in Cannes on previous occasions. He therefore approached Hans-Georg Tersling and Aaron Messiah, asking them to build him something similar. The style is a blend of Italian and French architecture.

After World War I Prince André (Prince Victor’s son) sold the residence to the city of Nice in 1919 but imposed two conditions: the first was that the Palace become a museum dedicated to local history, and the second was that the gardens were opened to the public.

Inaugurated in 1921 the Museum traces the history of Nice through painting, sculpture, jewellery and tapestries, as well as having an important library of historical documents. While the residence has retained all its original features, the garden was slightly modified to allow direct access from the Promenade. It became an Historic Monument in 1975.

Byline: it is interesting to note that Victor Masséna was of Jewish ancestry, his original family name being Menasse. In 1882 he married Paula, widow of the Duke of Elchingen, herself of Jewish birth and a descendent of the Heine-Furtado’s.  Thus it seems there may be a direct family link to Villa Heine and Madame Heine which could explain why Théodor Wolff took refuge there so many years later.

Before we move on to another remarkable icon of the French Riviera, I’m just going to mention a couple of Belle-Epoque hotels that have stood the test of time (ie. they were not demolished). The first one is the rather sophisticated West End Hotel that was originally named Hotel Victoria and built in 1842. It is considered to be the oldest hotel on the Promenade des Anglais. Its next door neighbour, the pink-tinted Hotel Westminster, was built in 1879 in the place of two other villas (one of which was the Dalmas Villa formerly the Robini Villa).  It was constructed by the architect and graduate of the Beaux-Arts of Nice, Louis Castel, for the Schmittz family. Following the “English” style so prevalent at that time, they requested permission of the Duke of Westminster for the right to use his name. The hotel opened in 1880 and was enlarged in 1904, adding the Hall aux Fresques painted by an artist from Florence. The management of the hotel was then entrusted to the Rebettez family, Swiss hotel owners.

In 1950 Madame Schmittz’s grandson inherited the hotel and had it modernized as well as adding two restaurants, a colonial style bar and a nightclub. The two lions which enthrone the entrance of the Westminster came from the villa Les Cariatides owned by the Grinda family, who still run the business today.

A point of interest is that by 1847 a total of 30 hotels had been built in Nice. This figure increased to 64 by 1877, 128 by 1900 and to 182 hotels by 1910;  most were large, luxurious establishments possessing 200 or more bedrooms. The colossal Excelsoir Regina Hotel contained 400, while the Hotel Negresco offered 420 rooms.  However, when one discovers that by 1910 there were already 160,000 winter residents and “tourists” coming to stay in Nice, one can understand the boom for hotels.

We now come to another landmark, albeit a fairly new one compared to our previous buildings. It is Le Palais de la Méditerranée at No.13-15 on the Promenade.

Palais de la Méditerranée
Built in 1927, this prestigious casino hotel was designed by the Niçois architect Charles Dalmas, who had already designed several grand hotels in Nice in association with his son Marcel, after an original idea by J. Aletti, a famous French hotel owner. The project was financed by the American billionaire Frank-Jay Gould, who had launched the nearby seaside resort of Juan-les-Pins and was owner of a string of casinos and hotels on the French Riviera. Its Art Deco façade, made from beige Lens limestone, had (and still has) some truly magnificent bas-reliefs sculptures by Antoine Sartorio.

Under Dalmas's careful eye and direction, it was constructed in one year with the assistance of 350 workers and inaugurated on 10 January 1929 after some difficulties in obtaining a gambling licence, and was a beautiful example of Art Deco. The casino opened onto an immense hall paved with white and beige marble, pink marble columns that supported a superb coffered ceiling and a monumental 20 metres wide staircase leading to the gaming rooms with amaranthine dadoes and figured mahogany opening onto amazing sea-views through vast stained glass picture windows reinforced with wrought iron.  There was also an atrium made from Italian marble from Bologne, an oyster bar, and an all-night restaurant, Salon de la Mer which could seat up to 2,000 guests. A 1,000-seat theatre made up of stalls surrounded by baignoires, with boxes and loges above, and yet another level forming a balcony, attracted the greatest names in the world of Arts and Entertainment, among them Maurice Chevalier, Jules Romain, Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker.

After the glitz and glamour of the 1930s, the grandeur of the Palais gradually declined, especially after it had been ravaged by fire in 1934. Gould then decided to rent it to a development company, Société Fermière du Palais de la Méditerranée who managed it until it finally closed its doors in April 1978 due to financial difficulties. Details pertaining to its ruin are quite sordid and would make a jolly good block-buster with sex, greed, corruption and murder all raising their dasterdly heads.  

The Palais's bankruptcy led to the sale of the décor and all its furniture; the beautiful stained glass windows were simply dumped. Vandalized, the building was demolished in May 1990 by mechanical shovels that left a gaping hole. Its two façades became a listed monument in extremis in August 1989.  I first saw this massive building in 2001 when it was still hidden by large wooden boards, and thinking then what a magnificant structure it was. You could just make out the bas-reliefs that hinted of something once very special.

It reopened in January 2004, following a multi-million Euro restoration overseen by Concorde Hotels & Resorts. The only sad part about this building is when your eyes are drawn away from its beautiful Art Deco style to discover the garishly bright LCD lights illuminating the Casino on the ground floor. Dommage.

I'm not sure about you, but at this point let's come away from the past and return to the here-and-now and enjoy our next discovery. From here the great curve of the Promenade des Anglais meanders round the Baie des Anges towards the airport and the panorama is truly spectacular. It becomes even more spectacular when the sky is set to its deepest blue and a moderate breeze keeps it crystal clear  - it then magically transforms the Mediterranean Sea into a luminous band of sheer turquoise. Absolutely mesmerizing.

As the Promenade became ever more popular the municipality installed a few park benches. These were replaced in the early 1930s by wooden chairs that one rented. But it was no longer the sea that was captivating. Turning their backs to the sea, summer and winter residents would sit and watch the incessent movement of other high society residents as they strolled up and down the promenade between a corridor of seats. In those post-war years it was important to see and be seen.

The iconic blue chairs first made their appearance around 1900. Fifty years later the municipality ordered a more modern range. In 1966 the distinguished French architect and urban planner Jean-Michel Wilmotte was commissioned to design a third-generation chair. The present model, painted in sky blue to complement the azure waters of the Baie des Anges, was placed on the Promenade in 1997. Nice ordered about 2,000 of these very elegant chairs, but due to "misappropriation" (ie. stolen) only around 700 are left.

During the clashes involving anti-capitalist demonstrators that erupted at the European Union summit in Nice in 2000, dozens of the blue chairs had to be withdrawn from service after they had been hurled at riot police and damaged.  In 2003 when the company responsible for their maintenance fell into financial difficulties, the Wilmotte chairs were placed in storage. When they did finally re-emerge they had been welded together in batches of 10 . . .

Free use of these much loved chairs can be made all year round except when Nice holds its fabulous annual carnival and flower festival in February and large metallic tribunes take their place.

The three series of white pergola's were refurbished in the 1990s to replace the original ones erected in 1935 and offer a wonderful retreat from the Mediterranean sun.  While each one measures 13 metres wide, one measures 54 metres long and the two others 42 metres. They are all built from Douglas Pine and are identical to the ones originally placed at the height of the Palais de la Méditerranée so many years ago.

We're now going to head towards Quai des Etats-Unis and then Quai Rauba Capeu passing some interesting landmarks as we do. I mentioned earlier how the promenade was created to offer a pleasant stroll by the sea for the English gentry, and while it continues to fulfil its original role, other activities have been added for the pleasure of locals and tourists alike. Along its 7kms, cyclists and roller-bladers are able exercise using the special lane provided for them and, in fact, one Sunday a month the Promenade is reserved just for strollers, roller skaters, cyclists and even horse-drawn carriages. If you don't have your own roller-blades you can rent a pair from Roller Station (located on Quai des Etats-Unis).

As you walk along the Promenade des Anglais and mingle with summer tourists and holiday makers, it is hard to believe that, once upon a time, Nice and its coastline were only prized in winter. Indeed, at the onset of summer Nice would empty of all visitors, and social life came to a grinding stop.

Two types of clientele came to Nice as winter residents: well-to-do aristocrats or the very ill. While the first enjoyed the luxury, opulence and gaie society, the second led a much more sober life suffering from consumption, scrofula or lethargy.  Following orders from their physicians, they would make the arduous journey down to Nice in the hope that its mild climate and the clean, fresh air of the Alps would help them recover.

What a journey that was. From London it took three days to get to Paris and then a further thirteen days, with over a hundred posting houses along the way, with roads little more than dusty stony tracks. The advent of the railroad in 1865 helped enormously and we'll be looking at this in greater depth later on.

Before I write more about the creation of the Promenade des Anglais, I do need to tell you about a gorgeous park, today called Jardin Albert 1st, as it makes a wonderful, green leafy oasis between the Promenade and Quai des Etats-Unis.

Jardin Albert 1er
The garden dates back to 1852 when it was first designed by the architect Vérany and is considered to be one of the oldest public parks in Nice. It is built over the Paillon River, once a wide, stony and quite marshy river-bed. Traces of it can still be seen at Galion Plage where a wide arched outlet has been left for storm surges. Today it covers an area of roughly 25,774m² and wide stretches enter snake-like into the heart of Nice.  

It was originally built in three stages. In the first instance a small public park was established on the left side of the mouth of the Paillon River. Planted in the romantic à la française style, the garden also contained pine, cypress and olive trees alongside more exotic vegetation ,such as African and Oriental plant varieties.  It was called Jardin Paradis. When a bandstand was erected in 1868 all of high society gathered every Thursday and Sunday to listen to military bands playing the music of the day.  The stunning bronze Lionne de Clovis Masson located today at the entrance of the park was originally erected in 1869 and sited above a small lake and artificial grotto.

In 1860 a second public garden was constructed, this time on the right-hand side of the Paillon River and it was named square des Phocéens.   

A bridge, le pont des Anges (once called le pont Napoléon) arched over the mouth of the Paillon River linking the two sides of the river banks. The two gardens were “joined up” in 1893 when the Paillon River was finally covered over. The gardens officially opened to the public on the 20th November 1895 and proved a huge success.  In honour of the Belgian King Albert 1st, the park’s name changed to Jardin Albert 1er in 1914 as a tribute to the King’s heroic resistance against the German invasion during the First World War.

During the Second World War the gardens were badly damaged by German troops with the building of blockhouses to repel any threat of and Allied landing. They were redesigned in their present format in 1946 by the Niçois architect François Aragon.

The garden still retains a few mementoes from its past such as Antoniucci Volti’s Three Graces and Masson’s lioness and a new bandstand has come to replace the old one, as has a new theatre to replace the Théatre de Verdure built in 1945, offering up to 3,000 seating capacity.  Though many of the plants have disappeared in favour of well-groomed lawns there are still very rare ones such as the Reclinata palm tree, which are identified by name.  In addition, you'll find Bernard Venet’s monumental and sleek bronze arc, l’Arc de 115°5 which measures an impressive 19 metres. Commissed by the EPAD, it was installed in 1988 and offered to the City of Nice.  In contrast there is a charming Merry- Go-Round that finds appeal with young and old alike.

Before we look at the “pièce de résistance”, the Promenade des Anglais in detail, I must point out another historical monument that stands proudly at the entrance of Jardin Albert 1re facing the Mediterranean sea.

Monument du Centenaire
Built in 1896 and inaugurated that same year on 4th March by Félix Faure, then President of the French Republic, this stone and bronze monument was sculpted by André Allard after an architectural design by Jules Febvre.  It was erected to celebrate the first annexation of Nice to France in January 1793.  Engraved on the monuments are three dates; 1793, 1860 and 1893 marking important dates in the history of Nice.

It is difficult to comprehend the historical legacy that is to be found in Nice especially if you're here for a few days or taking time out to relax on the beach or strolling along the Promenade des Anglais. For many people coming here for the first time, it is the incredible panoramic views of the Baie des Anges, the wonderful markets and quaint narrow streets that draw one's attention. But as one digs deeper into the history of Nice you come to realize that this poor old city has had a rather turbulent past and vestiges can be found almost everywhere if you look carefully. Yet out of these turbulent times was to issue one of the most spectacular of promenades the world has ever seen; and remarkably it is thanks to foreigners (ie. the English) that it all came about.

The Arrival of the English in Nice
The English have long been seafarers and adventurers: notably trekking off to the Crusades, expanding the British Empire or causing mayhem amongst the Portuguese, French and Spanish with the likes of John Cabot, Sir Walter Raleigh, Henry Hudson and Sir Francis Drake. Possibly living on an island only heightened their curiosity as to “what was out there" so it would be fun to think that the English have always had itchy feet (I know I have) and perhaps is where the expression "the grass is greener on the other side" actually came from.

For me this period is utterly fascinating and I can’t help but be reminded of those swashbuckling films with Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster and of a time long past. In today’s world of sleek high-tech, ultra modern conveniences and fast-food, it is easy to forget what life was like back then and the innumerable hardships and magnificent discoveries that occurred.

It is equally startling to learn that there was an English Consul in Nice as early as 1612. By 1627, and with the creation of Nice as a “port franc” (free port) the English, already renowned sea-faring traders, anchored off Nice and traded products manufactured in Piedmont in exchange for silk, wine and olive oil. It was also the perfect way for the English to affirm their maritime power and establish themselves firmly on the Mediterranean coast, as they had done in India and Antilles during this same period.

Like life in general now, there were spells of highs and lows and peace and war. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) brought forth fierce navy combats between the English and French Navy off the Mediterranean coastline in 1704 during which the Duke of Berwick set in motion a train of events that had ever-lasting effects on both Nice and the English.

The Duke of Berwick was James II’s illegitimate son. Born in Moulins (Auverne) in 1670, he was raised and educated in France and later became a highly esteemed soldier.  As the War of the Spanish Succession raged on, by 4th March 1705 the French fleet were off the coast of Nice while the French Army, strong by some 8,000 men and 12,000 horses and commanded by the Duke of Berwick, took positions alongside the Var river.

The assault on Nice began on 16th March 1705 with bombardments lasting for 3 weeks before a truce was agreed and signed. This lasted for six months and allowed French troops the freedom of the city. However, by the end of October the troops abandoned Nice and hostilities resumed again on 14th November. Berwick attacked Castle Hill and the Castle and, acting upon the orders of Louis XIV, totally dismantled the ramparts.

At this point I think it best to show you an engraving dating back to 1685 as it will give you some idea of what the town looked like back then.

You can see the castle up on the hill itself, surrounded by ramparts with a secondary and much wider spreading rampart protecting old Nice down to the Paillon River. On the opposite side of the river bank was open woodland where gradually villas and palaces would be built to rent out to aristocrats, nobles and the well-to-do.

Confined within the ramparts the streets were narrow, thus causing the houses to be built equally narrow and very tall, as you see them today. Ironically, once the ramparts were gone, it meant that further construction work could expand easily to the west. Previously it had always been an ordeal walking or riding from the Old Town with its narrow, crowded, smelly and cluttered streets to the peace and quiet of the country as, prior to Pont Neuf being built, one had to negotiate a series of wooden planks.  Now it became much more pleasant.

From all accounts, apart from rich French families, the English also settled in the district of Saint François de Paule, otherwise called "le Pré aux Oies".  This was possibly due to the fact that the British Consul's Office was located there on 1 Place Saint Dominique and is possibly the same district where Lord and Lady Cavendish stayed during their sojourn in Nice in 1731 when Lady Cavendish gave birth to a son, Henry Cavendish, on October 10, 1731.

The War of Austrian Succession (1741-1748) also brought the English admiralty to lay anchor in the port of Nice and British army officers stayed in Nice during the winter months. Later, during the Seven Years War (1754- or 1756-1763), the English fleet moored off the coast again, this time in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

As word spread of its mild winter climate and beautiful countryside, so a few more wealthy English aristocrats ventured forth to discover Nice and its surrounding region. Matters were greatly helped when Tobias George Smollet (author of Travels through France and Italy) stayed in Nice from 1763 to 1763 and published his book a year later depicting the delights of the region. I should interject here that the English simply rented their furnished accommodation for the duration of their visit - there was never any question of buying property here. However, in 1750 two rather respectable hotels were built; Hotel de la Ville and Hotel des Quatre Nations which were followed by a much bigger establishment: Hotel des Anglais.

By 1780 the district started taking shape as the English settled in the Buffa district on the right bank of the river which led directly onto rue de France and rapidly established a small borough for themselves in the Croix-de-Marbre area which they called Little London or Newborough.

The district was so named after the marble cross erected on the 4th March1568 to commemorate the meeting in June 1538 between Pope Paul III, Charles V and François I after the signing of the 'Truce of Nice'. It was raised in front of the Saint-Croix Franciscan convent where the Pope had stayed. Although the convent is long gone, the marble cross still stands and can be seen on rue de France opposite the very beautiful Palais Marie-Christine and the column erected in 1823 to mark the passage in Nice of another pope: Pope Pie VII who visited Nice in 1809 and again in 1814.

In 1783 the Duke of York (King George III’s brother) arrived for a short stay, thus further endorsing Nice as an ideal winter residence. He was followed by the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Bedford, and the Duchess of Cumberland to name just a few members of the aristocracy. In 1787 even Thomas Jefferson visited the Riviera as part of his tour of the south of France and northern Italy.

By 1788 there were 110 English families residing in Nice and their district comprised not just of homes but also a church and cemetery.

However, this gentile lifestyle came to a grinding halt when things took a turn for the worse with the invasion of Nice by French revolutionary troops (l’Armée du Midi) in 1792 causing the English to flee – as we saw in the case of Lady Rivers and Villa Furtado-Heine.

A brief respite of hostilities in 1802 brought a few English nobles back to Nice, but it was short-lived, and by 1803 it was open warfare again.  It wasn’t until 1815 that the English slowly returned as peace reigned at the end of the Napoleonic War in 1822.  Arriving in November they would stay until early April before commencing their arduous return home. Among those who arrived was a certain Reverend Lewis Way.

Reverend Lewis Way and the Promenade des Anglais
Originally from a modest background, Reverend Way had inherited an appreciable fortune.  He was a sincere, if somewhat eccentric, clergyman who believed himself on a divine mission.  He was also a man of progress and initiative who came to Nice in 1822 so that his children could learn to speak French and Italian.

In those days while aristocrats and nobles lived a life of luxury, labourers and the poor lead a difficult life and lived on a meagre existence. In fact their worlds never met; each going about their business as if the other didn't exist. There is a delightful story of how the rich were called "Les Poivres" (pepper) by the poor and the poor were called "Le Riz" (rice); pepper then was as important as gold and carried the same status - the poor ate little other than rice and the catch of the day hence their nick-name.

In 1823 a very severe frost destroyed most of the orange crop around Nice plunging many field labourers into poverty. Distressed by what he saw, Reverend Way, along with his brother-in-law Charles Whitby, Lady Olivia Sparrow and Lady Mandeville began distributing food to the destitute - until Revered Way hit upon an idea. He suggested to his wealthy English parishioners that the poor should be hired to build a more suitable walkway along the seafront, some two metres wide, between Hotel des Anglais and rue Meyerbeer that would be free from detritus, comfortable to walk along and affording panoramic views. It was to be the forerunner of the future Promenade des Anglais.  By way of explanation, this meant creating a flat, rubble free dirt path along the sea-front from the present day location of Jardin Albert 1re and going four "blocks" down to rue Meyerbeer. For his charitable act, Reverend Way was known locally as "Louis d'Or".

The Hotel des Anglais, built in the middle of the 19th century, was an imposing and slightly colonial-style building. Built slightly back from the Promenade it was preceded by a charming exotic garden that was much admired both by its clientele and passers-by. For the time it offered unimaginable luxury offering only suites with combining rooms as well as a hydraulic lift to reassure crowned heads of state and noble patriarchs who might have found climbing the hotel's four storeys somewhat daunting.

The hotel was replaced in 1913 by the Hotel Ruhl whose architecture reflected the Mediterranean identity of that period. It was designed by Charles Dalmas and held the same iconic value as the Hotel Negresco and welcomed a host of well known people in the 1920s and 1930s. Much to the dismay of its clientele and Niçois, this much loved hotel was demolished in 1970 and replaced by the present, rather bland looking, glass and metal structure of the Méridien-Ruhl hotel. I should mention here that McDonald's is located on the ground and first floor of the building; if you do go there for a snack, go and eat on their first floor and, if possible, try and sit by the windows overlooking the Mediterranean Sea; it adds a certain "posh & upmarket" feel as you eat your fast-food hamburger.

Thus with the blessing of his parishioners the Reverend Way set about opening a subscription and, after hiring 120 men, 89 woman and 74 children for an overall salary of approximately €16,000 in today’s money, work commenced on the ‘Beach Road’. Though they did the best they could, they were not engineers and Reverend Lewis Way found himself obliged to hire several engineers to design and direct his project. By 1824 the dirt walkway was completed and winter residents were now able to partake in an enjoyable stroll along the seafront.

In 1831 private means again enabled further work on the road but by 1835, with the steady increase of winter residents to Nice and the building of additional hotels and villas to accommodate them, the Town Council decided to obtain ownership of the road and purchase adjacent parcels of land alongside it. In 1844 Beach Road was widen to three metres and renamed rue du Littoral-des-Anglais (English coastal road), la Strada del littorale in official notices and Lou Camin dei Ingles (English path) in Nissart.

To protect both the villas and their private gardens from the rigours of the Mediterranean Sea, but also to make sure new constructions would be aligned, the municipality widened the walkway by a further six metres, often taking land away from the villas in order to achieve their goal. In 1856 it was prolonged to the mouth of the Magnan river and finally called le Promenade des Anglais and planted with palm trees, oleanders, eucalyptus and pepper plants interspersed with flower beds.

Thanks to funds received from the Second Empire, the Malausséna municipality was able to carry out important construction work in 1862: the construction of a three metres high stone breakwater along the seafront; to widen the promenade to 15 metres, while laying down a road measuring 11 metres wide with a 3 metres pavement built in front of the villas. The funds also meant that the Promenade, now stretching some 2 kilometres around the curve of the Baie des Anges, could acquire gas lighting (as a side note, gas lighting was installed in Nice in 1854 although most homes still used oil lamps, if not candles for a few years) which thus made it possible for people to stroll here well into the evening and even late into the night.

Before we continue, and as I've been throwing figures at you for a little while, let's take a short interlude to tell you why the Baie des Anges is so-named. There have been a few stories as to its origin; notably one concerning Saint Raparata's body being brought to shore in a small fishing vessel aided by angels. The truth of the matter is that the name comes from an angel shark that was very abundant until the 19th century in the waters off Nice.

Its latin name is Squatina angelus. Unappealing and rather repulsive, their broad jaws, somewhat toadlike in appearance, were studded with several rows of very sharp teeth. Their squat body was covered with rough skin and quite resistant, according to Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, and so useful for polishing wood and ivory. But more importantly, the angel shark had two pairs of lateral fins with the pectoral ones being quite developed - that suggested . . .  wings.

Two years later, in 1864, another event occurred which threw the road into singular prominence: the arrival of the railway in Nice. By 1874, the Paris-Marseille-Nice express train took less than 18 hours to bring passengers to the now, biggest city of the Alpes-Maritimes département and resulted in opening up the coastal area that previously the Kings of Piedmont-Sardinia had somewhat neglected.

From that time on, the road was to pursue its relentless journey westward, reaching Saint-Hélène in 1878 and by 1882 linking Carras (present day location of Parc Ferber we mentioned earlier) and ending its course in front of the racetrack - today Nice airport - in 1903. That same year the road was connected to the National Highway.

And here we need to take a short break to quickly touch on the subject of "The Motor Car" (which I'll discuss more at the end of this whole article) as it played an important role in the Promenade. First of all, I should point out that if the Promenade had a road - it was a hard, solid earth one. Secondly, cars then were extremely expensive and only the very well-to-do could afford them so most found their way to Nice and Monaco. The first motorized cars arrived around 1895 and the first taxi in 1896, the same year that the Nice Automobile Club was created.

The first car "race" linked Marseille to Monte-Carlo, via Fréjus, Nice and La Turbie and was held between 29th and 31st January, 1987. Another race, named La Course du Mille occurred on the Promenade des Anglais between 1899 and 1904 with the Grande Semaine Automobile Fleurie (the week of flower-decked automobiles) occurring each year in April just before the Nice-Draguignan race. By 1905 it became evident that something had to be done to improve the vast dust clouds generated by the increasing circulation of cars and so the first tarmac was layed between 1905-1906 on the Promenade des Anglais and Avenue Masséna.

1931 was to be a truly momentous year for the Promenade des Anglais. Firstly, the junction of the Promenade with Quai des Etats-Unis meant that cars could drive along the coastal road without encountering any obstacles from the Port of Nice, round the rocky spur of Rauba Capeu and onwards to the Var valley. Secondly, fifty-two electric Art-Deco style candelabras were installed between Avenue des Phocéens and Boulevard Gambetta and, finally and most importantly, the Promenade des Anglais was officially inaugurated on 29th January 1931 by Prince Albert, Duke of Connaught, the son of Queen Victoria, in the presence of the Duchess of Vendôme and Jean Médecin the Mayor of Nice - thus binding the long-standing Franco-English relationship.

And here, dear readers, I reach a very interesting and, dare I say, frustrating conundrum: for I can find no more than two lines about the Promenade's inauguration. This incredible boulevard, described in such detail from its conception and various transformations spanning over one hundred years, comes to a grinding halt in what concerns its inauguration. And I am at a loss to understand why.

However, I see this as a red flag to a raging English bull and I shall endeavour to ferret out the truth. For example: who is the Duchess of Vendome? What was her connection to Nice? Prince Albert was then eighty-one years old and I do wonder about his state of health in attending the ceremony which then (of course) leads me to ask - was it perhaps his son, Prince Arthur of Connaught (who would have then been forty-eight) who stood in for him? And why are there no photos of such a Regal and significant event in the Promenade's long history?

It is a very moot point indeed and, for the moment, must remain so.

A little earlier in my narration of Nice, I mentioned both the Hotel des Anglais, and its replacement, the very stunning Hotel Ruhl. So I think it is important to tell you of another remarkable landmark - that was out at sea: the Casino de la Jetée-Promenade, the most fashionable venue in Nice until the inauguration of Palais de la Méditerranée.

Casino de la Jetée-Promenade
The project was the brain child of the Marquis d’Espouy de Saint-Paul who wanted Nice to have a replica of London’s Cristal Palace on the Promenade des Anglais. He thus approached James Brunlers, an English architect, and asked for plans to be drawn up.

In November 1875 his project was put before Nice’s municipality. Initially they had misgivings insofar that this would be the second casino established on the Promenade des Anglais, the first one, belonging to Léopold Amat, having gone bankrupt in 1867. Their other problem was where to build it on the Promenade. The Marquis insisted it should be built on the present site of the Jardin Public but the municipality disagreed as they had already drawn up plans to cover the entire Paillon River and move the Jardin Public over it.

They therefore suggested to the Marquis that if he wanted to have his casino on the Jardin Public the new gardens would have to be built first – and at his own cost – prior to destroying the present one.  This idea did not sit well with the Marquis, so he went off and petitioned the Préfecture to grant him a maritime area in front of the Hotel des Anglais instead.  After several requests, Préfet Raynet de Brancion, although acting against the municipality’s advice, gave his consent to the Marquis in March 1879.

Work began at the end of October 1880 and was undertaken by an English building contractor; though following Brunlers’ architectural design the building resembled more Brighton Pier than Cristal Palace.  The casino was sited on a platform measuring 6,500m² that was built at the end of a 130m long wooden pier itself linked to the beach. Its dome would be 20 metres high and topped with an arrow.  By October 1882 most of the external building had been completed and although the internal decors had yet to start, the terraces and exterior walkways were open to the public.

However, in the afternoon of April 4, 1883, just four days prior to its official inauguration, the casino was completely destroyed by fire, the dome crashing down and smashing everything in its wake. Luckily no one was injured but the cause of the fire was never known.

All that remained afterwards would be part of the gangway and entrance which, due to weather conditions, deteriorated further.  In December 1883 the installations were put up for auction but without any takers. That is until October 1886 when a certain Monsieur Lougarre stepped in and would do everything possible to save the Jetée.

By 1887 he had managed to find enough financing and, two years later in 1889, Préfet Raynet de Brancion once again gave his consent to build a casino. This time the project was managed by a Franco-Belgian group under the watchful eye of Denise, a Parisian architect, who gave the new casino a more oriental style.  A Niçoise constructor, Dumontel et Tombarel, was charged with its construction. The platform was raised 2m 10 above sea-level and held together by 250 piles. At the summit of the 35 metre high dome, a gold-plated mermaid held a three-pronged fork as turrets and minarets stood out against the skyline.

The Casino was inaugurated on the 10th January 1891 with the notable absence of the municipality authorities.  In 1907 it was embellished by Mathon, a member of the Académie des Beaux Arts when he added extra gaming rooms, concert halls and galleries.

At the start of World War I, the entire building was used to house injured soldiers but later found its festive vocation again.  It rapidly became the emblem of Nice and renowned for its concerts and popular balls, making its iron and glass silhouette a Mecca for high society in Nice for over half a century until it finally closed its doors on 20th December 1942.

Left abandoned during World War II, its copper, bronze and electrical cables would be stripped by the Italian Army. In January 1944 it then drew attention from the German Commission in charge of recovering iron scrap for the war effort and it was totally dismantled. The disappearance of this singular masterpiece and Niçoise landmark has been regretted by some, while others always found it an ugly blot on the beautiful curve of the Baie des Anges.

Although there is no change to the dusky dark pink of the Promenade’s surface, once you pass the Jardin Albert 1er you are actually in the area known as Les Ponchettes on Quai des Etats-Unis, formerly known as Quai du Midi.

Before we move on, let me draw your attention to a well known, but fading trompe-l’oeil: The Man Up a Ladder Painting a Palm Tree, as you'll see this image (not mine) in nearly every guide book of Nice. Financed by JC Decaux it was painted by the French mural artist, Fabio Rieti in 1984. The fun part of his mural is of course the real palm tree that is located to the left of my photo and throws a super shadow on his mural.

I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that we've now reached 'Old Nice', with its famous flower market in Cours Saleya just a few steps away and its exceptional Baroque and Renaissance architecture and wonderful narrow streets. I'll be talking about these in a future article.