Marlinspike Hall

History

Marlinspike Hall first appears in The Secret of the Unicorn (1943) as the home of the story's villains, the Bird brothers. By the end of the sequel Red Rackham's Treasure (1944), the manor is found to have been built by Haddock's illustrious ancestor Sir Francis Haddock. It is purchased by Professor Calculus on behalf of the Captain, and the fabled treasure itself is found hidden in the manor's old chapel, in the cellars. In the following years, Marlinspike provides a home base for Tintin, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and Snowy in between their various adventures. In The Castafiore Emerald (1963), virtually all of the action takes place in the Hall, its grounds, or the surrounding countryside.

Description

The hall is modelled after the central section of the Château de Cheverny, a manor in France. Hergé purposely left out the wings at the extremity of the original building, saying that it would be one thing for Captain Haddock to inherit a beautiful residence, but quite another thing for him to inherit a stately home.

Analysis

”Indeed it seems that the château, along with the group it shelters, takes on the role of defining this fictitious geography, in a very specific way. Moulinsart, in its peaceful rural setting, figures in a sense the opposite of adventure”, commented Nathalie Aubert.

Location

Marlinspike Hall is located in Belgium. The original English language translators of the Tintin books caused some confusion to English-speaking readers by giving the address of Marlinspike Hall as "Marlinshire, England" in The Secret of the Unicorn. However, details such as car number plates, traffic travelling on the right hand side of the road, and the appearance of Marlinspike police (who wear the black-and-red uniforms of the Belgian Gendarmerie) confirm that Hergé's intention was to locate the Hall in his native Belgium rather than the left-hand driving United Kingdom. Moreover, it is explained in Red Rackham's Treasure that the Manor was built by an ancestor of Captain Haddock, the Chevalier François de Hadoque, a ship-of-the-line captain in the French Navy under King Louis XIV. In the Golden Press editions, the name Marlinspike Hall is Americanized to Hudson Manor, suggesting a location along the Hudson River in the State of New York.

Notes

Citations

Sources

References

1. "Cap sur le château de Moulinsart : épisode • 2/2 du podcast À la poursuite d'Archibald Haddock".
2. lefigaro.fr. (2017-07-10). "Êtes-vous incollables sur le Château de Moulinsart ?".
3. Bernard, Jean. (2024-08-11). "D'un château à l'autre : La Hulpe devient Moulinsart".
4. (2001-07-02). "Une vie de château pour Tintin - L'Humanité".
5. "Les Secrets de Moulinsart {{!}} The Loire Valley, France {{!}} Attractions".
6. (2021-09-20). "Les secrets de Moulinsart".
7. France, Centre. (2023-03-05). "Les 40 ans de la mort d'Hergé - Hergé s'est délibérément inspiré du château de Cheverny pour dessiner Moulinsart".
8. (2001-06-28). "Le château de Moulinsart existe, on peut le visiter à Cheverny - Le Temps".
9. "Back story". Herge - Tintin (Official website).
10. rédaction, la. "Le château de Moulinsart, des Aventures de Tintin, inspiré du château de Cheverny".
11. Aubert, Nathalie. (2017-07-05). "From Art Nouveau to Surrealism: European Modernity in the Making". Routledge.