In 1911 Hughes Richard Arthur Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, had this sublime building erected as a royal reward in recognition of his bravery during the Boer War. Designed by architects Detmar Blow and Fernand Billerey, Woolsack Castle welcomed numerous famous people during the interwar period. For 10 years Coco Chanel came here to relax, sometimes in the company of the seamstresses of her workshop to whom she offered this dream holiday in a villa situated at Mimizan-Plage (now Pylone holiday camp): paid holiday before its time! Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dalí, Suzanne Leglen all came in their time to profit from this jewel of Victorian architecture. Winston Churchill, a close friend of the Duke’s, even painted some 20 paintings on the banks of Lake Aureilhan. After its purchase by the Gascogne Group, the Woolsack Castle is today privately owned.