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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Edward villa, located in Bagnères-de-Luchon, is an emblematic example of neo-Gothic architecture applied to 19th-century thermal residences. Built in 1864 according to the plans of architect Edmond Chambert for Amédée Bonnemaison, it is distinguished by its facade adorned with corbelled turrets, girdles, and brick motifs evoking modillons. Its strategic location, at the southern end of the villas bordering Rostand and Gorsse Boulevards, as well as close to the Bains and the casino, makes it a key element of the Luchonnais thermal landscape.

The original project, presented in 1861 as a rectangular villa with a north and south perron, was rejected in favour of a more ambitious "castelet" in 1862. The interior distribution was reversed: the main access was moved to the south façade, serving a central entrance hall leading to the living room and dining room, while the staircase was refocused at the back. The basement, originally dedicated to service parts, was simplified to keep only one cellar, reflecting an optimization of the spaces for renting to curators. The villa was completed in 1863 and published in Viollet-le-Duc's collection of Modern Habitations, which emphasized its rental character for "foreigners".

The villa Édouard embodies the style of the holiday lodge, designed to combine bourgeois comfort and picturesque aesthetics. Its masonry facades coated on granite base, its dardian roofs interrupted by skylights, and its superimposed balconies make it a synthesis of the medieval influences revisited. The elements protected since 2003 (façades, roofs, fence walls and outbuildings) demonstrate its heritage importance. His plan, published and commented, reveals a spatial organization typical of the thermal residences, where the rooms of the servants stand alongside those of the masters under the roofs, illustrating the social hierarchy of the period.

Architect Edmond Chambert, author of the plans, has incorporated stylistic details evocative of the Middle Ages, such as the lintels in braid or the quadrilobes of the impostes, while meeting the functional requirements of a seasonal rental. The mention in the work of Viollet-le-Duc and Narjoux confirms its role as an architectural showcase for the growing spas. Today, the villa remains a precious testimony of the golden age of Pyrenean thermalism, where the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie who came to "take the water" demanded both practical and prestigious residences.

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