Support me on Patreon for early access previews, rewards and giveaways!
Contact Me
Or use the contact form below.
Manoir Colimaçon, France
Magnificent Helix – Framed/Unframed Fine Art Print now available.
Manoir Colimaçon is an abandoned late 19th Century mansion in rural northern France. Presently several other names exist for this house; “Manoir Joachim Kroll”, “Manoir Beauty” and “Manoir aux Papillons Bleus”. This house before the turn of the 20th Century, on the foundations of an older chateau.
A local farmer previously owned the chateau, yet he did little to maintain it. Subsequently, he sold Manoir Colimaçon in the 1970s, to an Iranian engineer. This man-made some attempts to renovate the mansion. In recent years there was a constant dispute with the former owner. The former owner lived nearby and still grazed sheep on the land. Tensions escalated, and arguments ensued as a result of this. Finally, the Iranian owner returned to the United States and left the property to wither and rot.
The chateau has a very striking, fairytale-like exterior. Ivy drapes over the main entrance. The chateau-style pointed roof gives an imposing and almost Gothic appearance. There are terrace balconies on both of the upper floors of the three-storey mansion.
The famous Manoir Colimaçon spiral staircase
The main attraction of Manoir Colimaçon, is the stunning stairway. This curious service stairway which links all floors of the south side of the mansion. This tight helical stairway features blocky concrete columns. The tiles are decorated tiny white square tiles. It seems quite out of style compared to the rest of the mansion.
Light streaming in through a dirty and sun-damaged plastic dome on the roof. This gives the light from above an orange-hue. In contrast to this, the light filtering in through the small basement windows imparts a soft blue tone. This contrast in colours, makes for some very unusual and atmospheric photographs. Manoir Colimaçon truely is beautiful.
Our visit curtailed by the sounds of car horns, signalling that we had been discovered. Our time in Manoir Colimaçon was regrettably short. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our brief time here. Perhaps we will revisit one day to photograph the other dilapidated treasures within.
Seen a photo you love? All my images are available as prints, please do Contact Me and let me create your perfect bespoke artwork.
What do you think?
Which photograph caught your eye the most? How did this location make you feel? Do you have a question? Let me know by leaving a comment!
Join My Adventures!
I add new content every week, ranging from exciting new locations to blog articles about my road trips. My beautiful newsletter will bring my photographic adventures direct to your inbox!
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
Your email address will not be shared, or publically displayed. I will only use your data to send you the newsletter, as outlined in the Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time, via the opt-out link included in every email.
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
1 - Please do not ask for location addresses, see FAQ.
2 - Your email address will not be shared, or publically displayed. I will only use your data to reply to your message, as outlined in the Privacy Policy
I am interested in finding the Iranian engineer who owns Chateau de Colimacon. Do you have a contact for him? Or know his name.
Sorry Laura, I don’t know anything about him. Not even his name.
Hi! Beautiful pictures! Any idea if the manor is for sale again? And if so, do you know how much it’s for, and how does one purchase it? Thanks for the lovely insights!
Hi Christopher! Thanks for stopping by and browsing my photos. I don’t have any up to date into on this one sadly, other than to my knowledge it is still abandoned.