This villa was built in 1787 by Lady Penelope Rivers. It is the first construction made by a foreigner in France.
It has all the characteristics of the first villas built on the seafront in Nice in the early days of the resort. At the time of its construction, the house was located on the northern edge of the plot, against the old Route de France, as the coastline was not yet fixed. The park, which originally exceeded one hectare, was mainly planted with orange trees, protected from the sea spray by a double cypress avenue parallel to the beach. The view of the sea from the villa was therefore limited. The Villa Rivers, which is the oldest on the Promenade des Anglais, still has salons with painted ceilings and earthenware stoves, which are rare pieces today.