Fontaine de la coquille, Inscribed historic monument fountain in Villers-Cotterêts, France

The Fontaine de la Coquille is a stone fountain featuring a shell-shaped design with an animal head at its center, located in Villers-Cotterêts. The structure displays the ornamental characteristics typical of its construction period and anchors the small plaza where it stands.

The current structure was built in 1872 by sculptor Charles Gilbert, replacing an earlier fountain from 1833. It served as a water source for the town until 1929.

The name "fontaine de la Coquille" comes from the large shell crowning the composition. The carved figure was originally a human head, replaced in the 20th century by the head of a fabulous animal flanked by dolphins. The fountain is inscribed as a monument historique since 1932.

The fountain stands at the corner of Rue Demoustier and Rue Tronchet, on the wall below the blue street sign reading "RUE TRONCHET". It no longer supplies water, having stopped feeding the town in 1929, so it is a monument to look at rather than a water point. The carved face sits at eye level, making the details easy to examine from the pavement.

The fountain stopped supplying water to the town in 1929, yet it was listed as a monument historique only in 1932. Look for the blue "RUE TRONCHET" sign fixed to the wall at its upper left, marking the corner with Rue Demoustier.