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Fowl Manor is the home of the Fowl family in the Artemis Fowl film. Much like the house in the books, it is the location of the LEP siege and attempt to rescue Holly Short.
Description[]
Within Fowl Manor was a large library from within which the members of the Fowl family conducted their operations. It was on the coast of Ireland and was the only human habitation anywhere near the Hill of Tara.
History[]
Artemis Fowl Sr. and his son, Artemis Fowl Jr. both lived in Fowl Manor, protected by Domovoi Butler. It was also once home to Angeline Fowl, who passed away before her time. The manor was the home of many happy bedtime stories between the two Artemises, the elder Artemis telling his son of the fairies, though the young Artemis did not actually believe his stories. However, Artemis Fowl Sr. was often away on business, which bothered the young Artemis, who doted on his father.
One day, Artemis Fowl Sr. went on another of his business trips and went missing. Then, at Fowl Manor, the young Artemis received a call from a mysterious voice who told him that she had his father and if he wanted him back, he would need to bring her something called the Aculos. Domovoi Butler then revealed to Artemis Jr. a secret library within Fowl Manor where Artemis Sr. had stored a number of fairy artifacts that he was keeping safe. There, the young Fowl discovered his father's journal, revealing his logs of having worked with Beechwood Short to track down the Aculos and facing off against a fairy named Opal Koboi.
Fairy forces gathering above Fowl Manor
After Artemis Jr. captured a fairy named Holly Short, Fowl Manor became the site of a protracted siege. Commander Root of LEPRecon ordered a time freeze put in place upon Fowl Manor, but it was destabilized by a well-placed shot from Domovoi Butler using a weapon stolen from Short. The young Artemis then ordered that someone be sent in to negotiate and Root came into the manor herself, but she warned him that they did not pay ransoms. She then left the manor and called in the services of Mulch Diggums, a reprobate "giant dwarf," to tunnel into the manor and rescue Holly Short. Once inside, however, Diggums discovered a safe, which he couldn't resist cracking. Inside, to the shock of those watching via his eye-camera, was the treasure that everyone had been searching for: the Aculos.
At this point, Briar Cudgeon, a secret ally of Opal Koboi, made his move. He wrested control from Commander Root and ordered that a troll be sent into Fowl Manor. The troll was big, mean and angry, having been fed a potion of everything that trolls were allergic to. Thrust inside the building through a window, it immediately began wreaking havoc, though was ultimately knocked either unconscious or dead. Afterwards, Holly Short healed Domovoi Butler, who was critically injured in the fight, after those outside overrode Cudgeon and restored her magic, which Cudgeon had blocked. The time freeze outside broke down completely and LEPRecon was forced to withdraw. Short, however, returned and used the power of the Aculos to bring Artemis Fowl Sr. back to the manor before Koboi could kill him. In return, he gave her a list of Koboi's accomplices to investigate. Following this, a large contingent of media gathered outside Fowl Manor. Neither of the Artemises were too concerned, however, Artemis Sr. instead giving the young Artemis a set of keys for a helicopter. Artemis Jr. then went to a quiet area of the manor to make a phone call to Opal Koboi and tell her that she had lost and they were coming for her. He, Artemis Sr. and Domovoi Butler then took off outside on the helicopter, Domovoi's niece Juliet Butler watching from one of the manor's windows.
Behind the scenes[]
Construction of Fowl Manor for the film
In "Creating the World," a behind-the-scenes featurette available for the Artemis Fowl film, production designer Jim Clay describes the creation of Fowl Manor for the film. He states that author Eoin Colfer's original idea was a "Gothic, castle-y mansion in Ireland." For the film, they wanted something a little bit softer, but fascinating inside, with enough interesting spaces to accommodate the rest of the action. The manor was built from the ground up for the film, with the ability to travel around the house in one shot and the imagination of Artemis Fowl Sr. and all the Fowls who had put the house together. Effectively, the crew built a real house, a steel structure clad in timber and plastor render. Colfer states that he was thrilled to Fowl Manor not only re-created but reimagined, considering it quite an emotional experience. Artemis Fowl Jr. actor Ferdia Shaw considers it to be "crazy" the amount of detail they put into it, saying that his favorite room was his character's bedroom. The entire house was stocked with genuine, leather-bound books to give atmosphere. The chandelier featured in the battle with the troll was a genuine chandelier weighing one-and-a-half tons.
The Fowl Manor created for the Artemis Fowl film is visible on Google Maps [1] at coordinates 51º22'55.4"N 0º35'12.3"W near Longcross Studios.
Gallery[]
