We stumbled upon this estate while driving some back roads on Martinique. The Château Aubéry was under construction from 1928 to about 1931 by its owner Eugène Aubéry in the commune of Ducos. It was named a historic monument in 1992. It was built on 5 hectares of land, about 12 acres. The architects were Italian: Volpi and Balesco. Eugène Aubéry died in 1942.

In 1954, the estate was sold to the departement of Martinique, and it was used by the Ministry of Agriculture. The property was valued at 235,000 FF in 1973, when it was abandoned by the Ministry of Agriculture. We understand that the chateau was acquired by the commune of Ducos in the late 1980s, but that it had been unoccupied for about 15 years and was substantially deteriorated. The upkeep has been too much, and the property has been abandoned again.

It is claimed by some to be stolen from Lord Biron [sic] after being built in the 19th Century with slave labor. The phrase "Domaine Lord Byron" seen in some of the photos was apparently added by squatters who claimed to be descended from him and to own the property.

The property is located off Route N9 in the quartier of Croix Rivail. We have tagged its approximate location in Tagzania.

More photos of this marvelous estate are in our gallery. We believe the information we have given is true, but it is based on research done on the Web, and the resources are both scanty and in French.

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