Bird Cay was developed in the 1940s by Francis Francis, a handsome Brit and heir to the Standard Oil fortune. A notable world sportsman, Francis was a member of the English Olympic fencing and track teams, a champion horseman in the army, and one of the greatest amateur golfers of the 20th Century, earning the prestigious invitation to play in the U.S. Masters after winning the Swiss A famed aviator, Francis was also one of three developers of the ejection seat. Owner of the four most popular and chic nightclubs in London during World War II, Francis married Patricia Leonard, famed star of the London theater. It was with this legacy of fame and fortune that Francis decided to buy his own island and create a personal paradise, building the houses from rock quarried there. Here Francis chose to raise his children and entertain his friends while practicing golf on a custom-designed driving range. The home’s dining room was host to many kings, politicians, and stars. Every evening, glamorous guests would gather in the great room to dine. Francis counted Belgium’s King Leopold III, the Duke of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Rock Hudson, Sir Noël Coward, Greta Garbo, and David Niven among his closest personal friends. In later years, Francis became rather reclusive, increasingly prizing his privacy and avidly shunning publicity. Journalists were kept at bay, and photographers were not allowed to land on the cay.

A haven of beauty and tranquillity, this 130-acre tropical island is located at the south end of the Berry Islands chain, just 30 minutes by air from Nassau. The island is well protected on all sides by neighboring islands and sand banks. Chub Cay lies just west of Bird Cay and offers an excellent marina, a private resort club, restaurants, and a 5,000-foot airstrip with regular and chartered flights to Nassau. The privately owned island of Whale Cay to the east includes a 4,000-foot paved runway and harbor. Proximity to the Great Bahama Bank and the Tongue of the Ocean makes this an excellent fishing, sailing, and scuba-diving paradise.

Bird Cay offers sandy beaches, crystalline waters, spectacular ocean views, gentle prevailing breezes, numerous landscaped trails, gardens, mature tropical palms, casuarinas, and citrus and coconut groves. Given the considerable flowing lawn that surrounds the main house, a few golf holes could easily be constructed on the island.

The island also features a historic two-story main residence that overlooks the ocean and the swimming pool and is in need of some repair. Five colorful waterfront cottages line the shore of this private gem and seem to float on an artist’s palette of dazzling blue ocean fringed with pristine white beaches. The guest house overlooks nearby Whale Cay and affords complete privacy enveloped by native flowers and a white picket fence. It comprises three bedrooms, two baths, a large kitchen, a huge sitting room, a dining room, and an office.

The property also includes a boathouse, a recreation hall, a small shop, a carpenter’s shop, a rainwater tank, two generators, a three-car garage, storage buildings, a machine shop, paint and gas storage, and a Boston Whaler. This is quite simply a tropical paradise tailor-made for a business retreat, a family compound, or a stunning island resort. Offered at US$4,500,000. Inquiries to John Christie and Vicky Knowles