Manoir de Ban, Manor house and museum in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
Manoir de Ban is a rectangular neoclassical manor house built in 1840 by architect Philippe Franel for Charles Emile Henri de Scherer, with two side annexes topped by roof terraces. Its cream-white facade has a recessed top floor, tall shuttered windows with curved pediments, and a ground-floor veranda of slender white columns running across the rear and onto the annexes. The front door is framed by fluted pilasters with black metal lanterns.
Charles Emile Henri de Scherer bought the Champ de Ban estate on 27 May 1839 and had a neoclassical mansion built there in 1840 to plans by Vevey architect Philippe Franel, recorded in the land registry in 1841. The house was only named Manoir de Ban in 1946, after alterations by the American diplomat Grafton Winthrop Minot and his wife Anne de Lancey. Charlie Chaplin bought it on 31 December 1952 and lived there until his death in 1977.
The house served as Charlie Chaplin's home from 1952 to 1977, where he worked on screenplays and welcomed creative guests. The place reflects the deep connection the filmmaker developed with Switzerland during his later years.
The 14-hectare Champ de Ban estate lies above Corsier-sur-Vevey, 9 km from Montreux, 26 km from Lausanne and 91 km from Geneva. The manor stands on three levels with nineteen rooms, and the ground-floor peristyle gallery at the back opens onto the park, the lake and the mountains. Chaplin's World, the museum opened in April 2016, occupies the house; the park holds lawns, old beeches, maples, elms, spruces, a sequoia and cedars, plus an orchard, a greenhouse, a courtyard, a fountain, a swimming pool and a tennis court.
The site holds official recognition as a Cultural Property of National Significance in Switzerland, highlighting its importance beyond its celebrity connection. This designation ensures the preservation of both the building's architecture and its surrounding landscape for future generations.
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