May To Meet Macron At His Summer Retreat... A Former Military Fortress

The Fort de Brégançon is a medieval fortress on a small island off the French Mediterranean coast (Picture: Patrub01).

Theresa May is to cut short her holiday to meet French president Emmanuel Macron for Brexit talks at his summer retreat, Fort de Brégançon.

Perched 35 metres above sea level on a small island off the French Mediterranean coast, the fortress has been the official retreat of the president of France since 1968.

But the history of Fort de Brégançon stretches back centuries, remaining a military fortress up until the end of the First World War.

According to the president's official website, a garrison was maintained at the fort from 1786.

Napoleon then became interested in the fort shortly after taking nearby Toulon during the French Revolution in 1793.

Making it his mission to repair and improve it, Napolean equipped it with a powerful artillery, installing 23 cannons and reinforced the garrison with a group of imperial veterans.

It remained a military fortress throughout the First World War, and was occupied by a small garrison, before being decommissioned in 1919.

By the 1960s, the fort had fallen into disrepair - but was resurrected and restored to its former glory by a former French senator.

It passed to the state's possession in 1963, and was visited by Charles de Gaulle the following year when he presided over the 20th anniversary of the Allied landings in Provence.

According to reports, de Gaulle did not particularly like the fort and left after a single night.

Since then, the hideaway has been visited by every French president as a private escape from the demands of the presidency.

The fort is said to be accessible by just one road, and comes with its own beach.