Marlinspike Hall is the stately home, that as a child, I wanted to visit more than any of the others I was taken to – and I seemed to be taken to a lot. Or indeed any that I have visited since. But that could never happen as it it is entirely fictitious, a small piece of the genius that was Hergé, the inventor of Tintin.
For those not in the know Marlinspike Hall is the ancestral home of Captain Haddock, Tintin’s long time, if not exactly most reliable of trustworthy companion.
We come across Marlinspike Hall first in the Secret of the Unicorn when it is owned by two crooks, the Bird Brothers. A lot of the important elements of the story centre around the basement vaults. A treasure trove of antiques and artefacts and beautifully drawn. How I wanted to rummage in its dusty corners as a child.
The two part story – the second book is Red Rackham’s Treasure and also features other stalwarts Professor Cuthbert Calculus who provides Tintin with the shark-styed submarine necessary for the treasure hunt and the hapless Thompson and Thomson – the Thompson Twins, detectives in name only.
It is a tremendous story. Hergé had done some adventure stories – The Black island set in Scotland, the Blue Lotus – a wacky drug infused tale set in the Far East and a really weird one, The Shooting Star with magic mushrooms and hallucinations. But this double header saw him develop his story telling to a new level and, as a child I simply adored it.
Later we revisit the hall in the Casterfiori Emerald and The Calculus Affair. The humour in the former is more adult, subtle in its character-plays whereas the latter is another ripping yarn.
The Hall itself is modelled on a French Chateau but set in the English countryside. I can close my eyes and see it now, looming large with the faithful retainer Nestor by the main doors and the beautiful if sinister grounds all around.
Captain Haddock did one other thing for me. He provided me with a lexicography of swear words that are still useful to this day. He had 212! Here’s the link to the Tintinologist for you. How to choose a favourite from Bashi-Bazouks, to Anthracite and Vegetarians. Aardvarks to Coelcanth, Jobbernowl to Odd-toed ungulate? I think if there’s one it has to be:
Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in a thundering typhoon
The archetypical Haddock, furious and incontinent, one minute, schoolboy excited the next
I aim to grow old disgracefully but I do not aim to grow up. Vivre Tintin, Vivre Le Vieux Haddock!!
TanGental 
Bravo!! I love Snowy!
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This is something I completely missed!
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What can I say, I too enjoyed (and occasionally still enjoy) exploring Marlinspike Hall, from its antique filled basements to its owl haunted attics. Avoiding the dangers of Professor Calculus’s laboratory and occasionally tripping over a body in the grounds.
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We just need a tea room for a cuppa at the end of a visit and it would be perfect
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I totally echo your sentiments about growing up. I’ve getting more immature and irresponsible with every passing year. At the same time, my body tells some terrible lies. I was at Whale Beach where my parents had a place in my 20s and the kids are climbing all over these huge slabs of rock which had fallen from the cliffs overhead. Og how I struggled to move where once I had bounded and run!! I could blame my mobility issues but it could also be 20 years down the toilet as well.
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yes, anno domini is a bugger sometimes!
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Geoff just told me that the political correctness Police would have you on toast for that reference. It’s now Current Era (CE) and Before Current Era (BCE). I think we’re all probably in the latter category rapidly heading towards extinction. In which case, we should fry them all before we go.
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Ah well, guilty as charged, m’lud. Can I take another 3.5 million offences into account when being sentenced please? There are some changes I get and some which are, well, Meah, get over yourselves.
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My husband is the last person who would charge anyone with not being politically correct, the the way. He grew up on a farm in Scottsdale in NE Tasmania. This is the sort of place where men are men and sheep are…??? Did I mention sheep?
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Don’t mention sheep – too much like Wales.
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My husband’s family originally came from Wales many, many years ago…convict stock transported to Norfolk Island and then onto Port Arthur in Tasmania.
I think I should be worried. Is a sheep dog a concern?
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I think you’ll be safe by now.
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Don’t worry about CE and BCE, I can assure you real archaeologists don’t, they just stick to BC and AD as they always have. It is only hypersensitive Americans who tend to use BCE. I recently wrote a paper for a Sri Lankan journal, and thought they might use BCE, instead they corrected every usage of BCE to BC in the proof version.
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Good; I thought as much!
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I’m determined to introduce my grand-nephews to Tintin as I missed out on the fun!
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