The British consider that anyone who succeeds ought to "give something back" to society, in terms of time or money. A principle applied to the letter by this UK businessman, who is the kingpin of three heritage rescue operations in Menton and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2002, Michael Likierman (b. 1940), a shrewd businessman (who imported the Habitat store into France) arrived in this country nearly half a century ago with his wife. Here he fell in love with an old abandoned garden overlooking the Bay of Menton, in the Department of the Alpes-Maritimes. In 1995, the couple bought the Domaine des Colombières, designed by Ferdinand Bac in the 1920s, and restored the ruins of its historic house and garden before saving other nearby heritage sites.
How did you manage the change from business to saving endangered heritage sites? It happened quite naturally: when you have an entrepreneurial streak, it affects every area in your life. So when you see something that needs reconstructing you go for it!
How did you find the Domaine des Colombières in Menton? By chance. We had a second house in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where my wife was designing a garden, as…
com.dsi.gazette.Article : 16049
This article is for subscribers only
You still have 85% left to read.
Print the article
