Manoir de Ban facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manoir de Ban |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | neoclassical |
| Town or city | Corsier-sur-Vevey |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Construction started | 1840 |
| Owner | Charlie Chaplin Genii Capital (since 2008) |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 12,378 sq ft (1,150.0 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Philippe Franel |
The Manoir de Ban, also known as Champ de Ban Estate Manor, is a beautiful old house. It is located in Corsier-sur-Vevey, right by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. This special place is famous because it was the home of the legendary actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin for 25 years. He lived here from 1952 until he passed away in 1977.
Today, the Manoir de Ban is home to a museum called Chaplin's World. This museum is all about Charlie Chaplin's life and his amazing work. It opened its doors in April 2016, after many years of planning. The manor is also recognized as an important historical site in Switzerland.
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Where is the Manoir de Ban?
The manor sits on the Champ de Ban Estate, high above Corsier-sur-Vevey. This village is known for its vineyards and is part of the beautiful Swiss Riviera. The estate covers about 14 hectares (which is like 34 football fields!). It is surrounded by stunning nature, including the Lavaux vineyards (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Lake Geneva, and the tall Swiss Alps mountains.
The estate is also close to several cities. It is about 9 kilometers from Montreux, 26 kilometers from Lausanne, and 91 kilometers from Geneva.
The Manor's Story
How the Manor Was Built
Before the grand manor house was built, the Champ de Ban area was a farm. You can still see some parts from that time, like an old fountain and a farm building that has been changed a lot over the years.
A man named Charles Emile Henri de Scherer bought the land in 1839. In 1840, he decided to build a large house in the neoclassical style. This style was popular for its grand, classic look. The house was officially recorded in 1841.
The architect who designed the manor was Philippe Franel. He was a very famous architect in the region at that time. He designed many important buildings in the Vevey area, like the Clock Tower and the Trois-Couronnes hotel. Franel was skilled in both carpentry and architecture.
The manor's cellars show that wine was once made on the estate. There were even vineyards in the southern part of the grounds, which are now covered by trees. The house was not called "Manoir de Ban" until 1946. This name was given by new owners, Grafton Winthrop Minot and his wife Anne de Lancey, who were an American diplomat and his wife.
Who Owned the Manor?
Over the years, many different people owned the Manoir de Ban. Here are some of the most important owners:
- 1839: Charles Emile Henri de Scherer bought the land and built the manor. He also designed the beautiful gardens.
- 1946: Grafton Winthrop Minot and his wife Anne de Lancey bought the house. They were the ones who named it "Manoir de Ban."
- 1952: Charlie Chaplin purchased the manor. This was a very important moment for the house.
- 1977: Charlie Chaplin passed away, and his wife Oona inherited the manor.
- 1991: Oona Chaplin passed away, and her children inherited the property. They later gave it to the Charlie Chaplin Museum Foundation.
- 2008: Genii Capital, a company from Luxembourg, bought the manor. They did this to help make the Charlie Chaplin museum project happen.
Charlie Chaplin's Home
In September 1952, Charlie Chaplin was traveling to Europe to promote his film Limelight. While he was away, he found out that the USA had taken away his visa. This meant he couldn't go back to America. So, the Chaplin family needed a new home in Europe. They decided to move to Switzerland after Charlie's half-brother Sydney suggested it.
The Chaplin family moved into the Manoir de Ban on January 6, 1953. Even though they bought the house with furniture, Charlie and his wife Oona worked with architects to make changes and redecorate the inside. Oona was pregnant with their fifth child when they arrived, and they eventually had eight children in total while living there.
Charlie Chaplin lived at the manor for 25 years. He called these his "happy years." He loved walking in the large gardens, playing with his children, and inviting famous friends from all over the world, like Marlon Brando and Truman Capote.
Chaplin also spent a lot of time working at the manor. He wrote the screenplays for his films A King in New York and A Countess from Hong Kong there. He also worked on the music for his films and wrote his autobiography, My Autobiography, which was published in 1964.
Sir Charles Chaplin and his wife Lady Oona are buried in the cemetery in Corsier-sur-Vevey.
What the Manor Looks Like
The Main House
The Manoir de Ban is a rectangular building with two smaller sections on the sides that have roof terraces. The outside of the house is very fancy for its time. The front door has decorated columns next to it, and the windows have special outlines and ledges. The roof is made of slate and has decorative blocks under the edges.
At the back of the manor, there is a long porch called a peristyle. This porch goes all the way across the back and extends to the sides. It has a Colonial style and offers beautiful views of the park, the lake, and the mountains.
After the Chaplin family renovated it in 1952, the manor had nineteen rooms spread across three floors. This gave them 1,150 square meters of living space. In the basement, there are cellars from when the building was used for making wine. Chaplin had these cellars changed into special archives to keep his original works safe.
The inside of the manor was very grand. It had marble floors or beautiful wooden floors, and carvings on the walls. When Charlie Chaplin bought the house, it already had furniture. Some of this furniture came from a famous castle in the Loire Valley in France. The Chaplin family also brought their own furniture from California.
Other Buildings
The property also includes an old farm building that was there before the manor. It was changed many times and, when the Chaplin family lived there, it was used for staff housing, stables for animals, a barn, and storage.
There is also a garage built around 1900, which was updated around 1980. It could hold three cars and had living space for staff upstairs. The Chaplin family had a lot of staff, sometimes as many as thirteen people. These included a secretary, nannies, cooks, gardeners, and drivers.
The Grounds
The Champ de Ban estate has one of the largest parks in the Vaud region of Switzerland. It covers almost 14 hectares and gently slopes down towards two streams. In the 1840s, an engineer named Edmond Davall helped design the park. He planted many unusual trees to see if they would grow well there.
The estate includes:
- A large park (6.1 hectares) with natural lawns and groups of old, tall trees. These include beeches, maples, elms, spruces, sequoia trees, and cedars.
- An orchard near the farm, a greenhouse built in 1965, and a kitchen garden that Charlie Chaplin enjoyed working in. There is also a courtyard, a fountain, a swimming pool, and a tennis court.
- A large forest (7.5 hectares) with trees that lose their leaves in autumn. The wooded area in the south of the estate used to be a vineyard.
Chaplin's World Museum
Chaplin's World museum officially opened on April 17, 2016, at the Manoir de Ban estate.
The museum tour starts in the manor house, where you learn about Charlie Chaplin's personal life and his family. Then, you move to a new building that focuses on his public life and his amazing career in movies. In total, the museum has over 4,000 square meters of exhibition space. It is managed by Grévin, a company that runs many attractions.
The museum also has a space for special temporary exhibitions and private events. There are places to eat and a souvenir shop. The people who created the museum worked hard to make the manor and its grounds look as beautiful as they did when Chaplin lived there, while also keeping the real touches of his personal life.
The idea for the museum started in 2000. It became possible when the Luxembourg company Genii Capital bought the manor in April 2008. The Chaplin family, along with companies that hold the rights to Charlie Chaplin's work, and the local government of Vaud, also supported the project. Nestlé was also a partner in developing the museum.
Important Dates
- 1840: The Manoir de Ban is built.
- 1952: Charlie Chaplin moves into the manor.
- 1977: Charlie Chaplin passes away.
- 2000: The idea for the Chaplin museum project begins.
- 2008: The Luxembourg company Genii Capital buys the manor.
- 2013: Construction work for the Charlie Chaplin museum starts.
- 2014: An agreement is made with Compagnie des Alpes/Grévin to run the museum.
- 2016: Chaplin's World museum opens on April 17.
Gallery
Outdoor area
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Manoir de Ban
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Manoir de Ban, view from northeast
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Entrance area of the new museum building
Interior
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Charlie Chaplin's bed
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Grand piano in the living room
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Dining room
