Maryland

It was not far from La Vigie that the British ship owner Arthur Wilson bought in 1904 a piece of land of 4 hector and used the architect Harold Peto to renovate the existing property.

Named Maryland, the 18 bedroom property, characterized itself by a wonderful patio sustained by red marble pillars. On the facade of the main wall, a sun face which held the inscription "Quad peto lumen est" which means 'what I ask for is light' which in a funny way remembers the name of the architect, who was also responsible for the renovation of the gardens. The Wilsons, who were personal friends of Edward VII, were well known from the English colony and many receptions were held in the villa, where amongst others the Duke and Duchess of Sunderland, Randolph and Winston Churchill in 1913. Winston Churchill had good reason to be at the villa, as he was chasing the daughter of Mr Wilson, Muriel, who he asked to marry him. Much to his dismay, Muriel marries the major John Ward, who was an automobile fanatic and the owner of a garage in Saint Jean. During the first world war, the Wilsons invited the injured solders for lunch and afternoon tea from the Queen Victoria hospital in Nice, who enjoyed walking around the domain and discovering the wonderful gardens. John and Muriel lived for a long time in Maryland but after a few years, chose to lodge in "Le Clos" which was a small country house with tiled floors and with beamed ceilings which was adjoining from the main property Maryland. This allowed the couple to rent the main villa during the winter season and continue to enjoy the wonderful park.
Today the property is perfectly maintained, remaining one of the most original villas on Cap Ferrat.

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