A museum dedicated to the life and work of Charlie Chaplin has opened inside his former home in Switzerland’s Corsier-sur-Vevey.

Chaplin’s World is set in the 1840 Manoir de Ban – designed by local architect Philippe Franel – where the heel-clicking star spent the last 25 years of his life. Its opening is the culmination of a project more than 15 years in the making.

Museum operator Grévin restored the house, including its library where Chaplin would spend much of his time writing screenplays. Many of the silent film star’s personal belongings and photographs are on show within the space. Architects IttenBrechbühl also designed a new studio building, immersing visitors in recreated sets from his most famous movies.

‘The tramp, the homeless person, the gypsy whose adventures always ended on the road, never lived here,’ says Michael Chaplin, son of Charlie and president of the Charlie Chaplin Museum Foundation. ‘But at the Chaplin’s World site, we can state that he has finally found an abode, where he will have a good home and settle in.’

In addition to the manor and studio set-up, visitors can also wander the four-hectare park surrounding the estate and take in views of the Alps and nearby Lake Geneva.

The opening of Chaplin’s World last weekend coincided with what would have been the actor’s 125th birthday.