The Villa Taylor is an historic residence in the Guéliz district of Marrakesh, Morocco. The villa was built in the early-20th century by Moses Taylor, grandson of the merchant and banker Moses Taylor, and occupied after Taylor's death in 1921 by his widow, Edith Bishop Taylor. During the Second World War, the house was requisitioned by the American Government to house its Vice-Consul, Kenneth Pendar. In January 1943, Pendar hosted Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the villa, following the Casablanca Conference. While staying at the villa, Churchill painted Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque, the only picture he undertook during the war. In 1947 Mrs Taylor sold the house to the mother of Comte Charles de Breteuil, who gave it to her son and his wife as a wedding present. The villa was subsequently bought by King Hassan II in 1985, who intended the house as a home for the Moroccan Crown Prince. This plan was not taken forward and the villa was abandoned and suffered neglect.
| Villa Taylor | |
|---|---|
  Location of Villa Taylor in Morocco | |
| Type | House |
| Location | Guéliz, Marrakesh, Morocco |
| Coordinates | 31°38′19″N 7°59′20″W / 31.63861°N 7.98889°W |
| Built | 20th century |
| Architectural style(s) | Moorish Revival |
History and description edit
You cannot come all the way to North Africa without seeing Marrakesh. Let us spend two days there. I must be with you when you see the sunset on the snows of the Atlas Mountains
—Churchill, in The Hinge of Fate, recalling his efforts to cajole President Roosevelt to visit Marrakesh.[1]
The villa dates from the early 20th century. Sources vary as to whether it was built by Moses Taylor,[2] or by his widow.[3] At the outbreak of the Second World War, the house was requisitioned by the US Government, and Kenneth Pendar, an archaeologist, the US Vice-Consul and a secret agent was installed in residence.[4] In January 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met at the Casablanca Conference, to determine the future direction of the war.[5] At the conclusion of their summit, Churchill persuaded Roosevelt to undertake a short excursion to Marrakesh. Churchill had first visited the city in the winter of 1935-1936 and, despite initial reservations—“the crowds, the smells and the general discomfort for painting have repelled me”, he wrote—he stayed for three weeks and came to love the city he termed ‘The Paris of the Sahara’.[6] He was determined that Roosevelt should share in his experiences.[1] Roosevelt and Churchill were accommodated by Pendar at the Villa Taylor and, after experiencing the sunset from the villa's tower, enjoyed an evening of dinner and songs.[1] After Roosevelt's departure the next day, Churchill remained at the villa, making plans for his travels and painting the Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque from the tower, the only picture he undertook during the war.[a][b][9]
Personal recollections of the sojourn at the Villa Taylor were recorded by members of Churchill's staff, as well as by Churchill himself. Churchill’s aide-de-camp, Commander Thompson, recorded Villa Taylor as, “built in the local style with a central courtyard, orange trees and fountains, and the interior decoration was exotic in the extreme”.[10] General Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Churchill's main military adviser, described both the villa, and his master's appearance within it. The villa was "very ornate and Moroccan with a wonderful garden".[11] Churchill was no less colourful; "It was all I could do to remain serious. The room must have been Mrs Taylor's bedroom and was all done up in Moorish style, the ceiling was a marvellous fresco of green, blue and gold. And there in the bed was Winston, in his green, red and gold dragon dressing gown, his hair, or what there was of it, standing on end, the lights shining on his cheeks, and a large cigar in his face!"[c][13] Churchill's long-time bodyguard Walter Thompson wrote, rather more respectfully; "No more suitable place for Mr Churchill to be at his painting could be imagined, the whole scene was a riot of the colour from which he draws his inspiration".[14] Churchill himself was greatly taken with his temporary home, which he described in a letter to his wife, as "a fairyland villa".[15]
On reclaiming the Villa Taylor at the end of the war, Mrs Taylor promptly sold it, reputedly because, as a staunch Republican, she objected to the villa's use by the Democratic Roosevelt.[16] The purchaser was the mother of Comte Charles de Breteuil, a newspaper publisher, and he and his wife, known as Boule, received the villa as a wedding present.[17] After the death of her husband in 1960, the comtesse remained living at the house until her own death, on a lifetime lease having sold on the property to King Hassan II in the 1980s. The King originally planned to offer the house to his son, the Crown Prince, but these plans were not taken forward.[18]
Notes edit
- ^ Churchill subsequently presented the picture to President Roosevelt as a gift. It was later acquired by Angelina Jolie and achieved £7M, the highest price ever paid for a painting by Churchill, when auctioned by Jolie at Christie’s in 2021.[7]
- ^ A very similar view, painted by Churchill in 1948, was presented to President Harry S. Truman.[8]
- ^ Alanbrooke's candid diaries had caused controversy when originally published, in expurgated form, in 1957. Churchill was infuriated by the descriptions of himself, replying to Alanbrooke's gift of an inscribed copy; "On the whole I think I am against publishing day to day diaries written under the stress of events so soon afterwards".[12]
References edit
- ^ a b c Churchill 1951, p. 621.
- ^ Roberts 2008, p. 347.
- ^ Fox Weber 1993, p. 1.
- ^ Dunn, Michael Collins (25 January 2013). "Franklin and Winston's Excellent Road Trip: Churchill and FDR Overnight in Marrakesh". Middle East Institute.
- ^ Gilbert 1986, p. 296.
- ^ Gilbert 1976, p. 695.
- ^ Lewis, Isobel (2 March 2021). "Angelina Jolie sells Winston Churchill painting for record £7m". The Independent.
- ^ "Lot 12 - Sir Winston Churchill - Marrakech". Sotheby’s. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Gilbert 1986, p. 314.
- ^ Vale & Scadding 2020, p. 121.
- ^ Alanbrooke 2001, p. 368.
- ^ Alanbrooke 2001, Introduction.
- ^ Alanbrooke 2001, p. 369.
- ^ Coombs & Churchill 2003, p. 163.
- ^ Soames 1998, p. 476.
- ^ Coughlin, Con (4 February 2016). "Marrakesh: where Churchill and Roosevelt played hookey". The Telegraph.
- ^ Fox Weber 1993, p. 6.
- ^ Fox Weber 1993, p. 9.
Sources edit
- Alanbrooke, Field Marshal Lord (2001). Danchev, Alex; Todman, Daniel (eds.). War Diaries 1939–1945. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-60731-1. OCLC 470536346.
- Churchill, Winston (1951). The Hinge of Fate. The Second World War. Vol. IV. London: Cassell & Co. LTD. OCLC 973429324.
- —; Churchill, Clementine (1998). Soames, Mary (ed.). Speaking for Themselves: The Personal Letters of Winston and Clementine Churchill. London: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-40691-8. OCLC 472576610.
- Coombs, David (1967). Churchill - his paintings. London: Hamish Hamilton. OCLC 3437376.
- —; Churchill, Minnie (2003). Sir Winston Churchill's Life Through his Paintings. London: Chaucer Press. ISBN 978-1-904-44916-4. OCLC 834797327.
- Fox Weber, Nicholas (1993). Gardens: Villa Taylor - The Comtesse De Breteuil's Marrakesh oasis (PDF). New York: Architectural Digest.
- Gilbert, Martin (1976). Prophet of Truth: Winston S. Churchill 1922–1939. Authorised biography of Winston S. Churchill. Vol. V. London: Heinemann. OCLC 715481469.
- — (1986). Road to Victory: Winston S. Churchill 1941–1945. Authorised biography of Winston S. Churchill. Vol. VII. London: Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-434-13017-7. OCLC 658165202.
- Roberts, Andrew (2008). Masters and Commanders. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 978-0-06-122857-5.
- Vale, Allister; Scadding, John (2020). Winston Churchill's Illnesses: 1886-1965. Oxford: Casemate UK. ISBN 978-1-526-78949-5. OCLC 1245342178.