Marlinspike Hall

Marlinspike Hall (French: Le château de Moulinsart [mu.lɛ̃.saʁ]) is Captain Haddock's country house and family estate in The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé.

In an allusion to the Haddock family's maritime history, the hall's English name refers to the marlinspike, a tool used in seamanship to splice ropes.

Marlinspike Hall is presented as a large and luxurious dwelling adorned with numerous works of art, antique furniture, and a gallery of the Haddock family's historic treasures.

The size of the house and park would appear to require a number of domestic and gardening staff, but only one—the faithful Nestor, serving as butler to the Hall—is ever seen.

However, details such as car number plates, traffic travelling on the right hand side of the road, and the appearance of the 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.

Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy approach Marlinspike Hall ( Le château de Moulinsart ).
The Château de Cheverny was used as a model for Marlinspike Hall. The central tower and two inner wings are identical while the two outermost wings were not used.
Simulation of Marlinspike Hall with the outer wings removed and some features changed