The Eagle's Nest
At a day's walk from Chamonix, this mountain pasture seemed to him to be the ideal location to build a summer home, a place from which to climb and rest, close to the Mont Blanc massif, but still a fair distance from crowds.
The negotiations with the municipal council for acquisition, by one individual, of communal land were long and heated. Some villagers were in favour of the sale, seeing it as a possibility of development for the village, others were against it, suspicious of the intentions of the foreigner and in principle against the sale of community ownership land. The rumour spread that he must be looking for gold!
The purchase was eventually made. A sawmill was built on site, but the construction of such a project required the efforts and expertise of many villagers.
Alfred Wills' first wife Lucy drew the plans of the building. She unfortunately died before it was achieved; she left numerous drawings of the cirque des Fonts and its surroundings, some of which illustrate her husband's books, 'Wandering among the Alps' and 'The Eagle's Nest in the Valley of Sixt'.
The family spent numerous summers there. A few years before he died, Alfred bequeathed the property to his daughter Edith, whose married name was Norton.
She loved the place and spent many summers in the chalet where she died at the age of 90 and is buried in the Sixt cemetery.
A few members of the family became alpinists; the most famous is Edward Norton, known as Teddy, who took part in two expeditions to the Himalayas. He climbed to within 300 metres of the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen. These expeditions were marked by tragedy as several porters died during the first climb and the celebrated alpinists Mallory and Irving during the second one.
During World War II the property was vandalised and neglected. It was put up for sale but it was not until 1957 that a French - English couple, Denise and Ronald Lucas acquired it. They were attracted by the chalet and the site, while on a walk to Mount Buet, and fascinated by the beauty of the building, as well as by its rich history which appealed to their imagination, in spite of the degradations. They began the first work of restoration.
Situated on a promontory dominating the valley that leads to it, one has a panoramic view, from the chalet, of the entire cirque. The foundations of the first floor are of stone and wood with large bay windows. The two floors above are of wood and a fine central staircase connects them. Many aspects of the Eagle's Nest are being restored.
