Deux Rives, Dinard

During the Summer of 1914, Fergusson left Paris and travelled to Cap d'Antibes, a small coastal resort on the Mediterannean. It was during this time that he re-acquainted his friendship with Margaret Morris, a young English dancer whom he first met in Paris the previous year. Unfortunately, the outbreak of war soon forced them to return to England where for a time they settled in Chelsea though still maintaining their links with Scotland. The war years were a time both of financial uncertainty and artistic experimentation for Fergusson, the highlight of which was a series of paintings of the naval dockyards at Portsmouth.

Following the war, Margaret Morris enjoyed considerable success at her Dance school, and decided to arrange a series of annual Summer Schools, one of which was at the Bretagne resort of Dinard. She recalls in her biography on J D Fergusson (loc.cit.) "Le Chateau des Deux Rives was a large house on a cliff, a promontory running into the sea, with a large garden and lovely views".