Villa Léandre

Overview

Villa Léandre is an extraordinary 69-meter private lane in Montmartre lined with English-inspired Art Deco houses — red brick facades, individual gardens, and slate roofs that seem transplanted from a London suburb. It is one of the most photographed and least-known streets in Paris.

Highlights

• Architecture: Twelve houses built in 1926 in a style entirely unlike anything else in Montmartre — a conscious homage to English residential design within a French Art Deco framework.
• Atmosphere: The lane is lined with flowering gardens and feels genuinely private despite being accessible to the public — a pocket of unexpected calm above the bustle of Montmartre.
• History Layers: The site previously housed a wooden windmill, le Moulin des Prés, documented from the early 18th century and demolished in 1828 when the quarries beneath became unstable.

History

The villa was created in 1926 under the name Villa Junot, built on the slopes of the Butte Montmartre. It was renamed in 1936 after the comic actor and caricaturist Charles Léandre. Though Art Deco in period, all twelve houses draw on English rather than French stylistic references — making the street a genuine architectural curiosity in the heart of Paris.

Visitor Tips

• The lane is off Avenue Junot; look for the discreet entrance between two larger buildings.
• Visit in spring when the gardens are in bloom; combine with nearby Square Suzanne-Buisson and the quieter western side of Montmartre.
• Metro Lamarck–Caulaincourt (Line 12) is the closest stop.