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| this image as on a leaflet from the municipality announcing the sale of the house |
Port-Joinville is a small town of about 2000 inhabitants on the north side of the French island of Ile d'Yeu, situated opposite the French west coast and part of the department of Vendée.
It has the most important port of the island, also because most ferries arrive or depart there.
The Shell House
In this port town, located along the rue de la Plage, a road leading to the beach, there is a house decorated with shells, as pictured above.
The house was built after the First World War, a time when the island, particularly for its beaches, was beginning to develop as a tourist destination and seaside resort.
The shells and pebbles were attached to the walls by the couple who occupied the newly built house at the time. Their name is not mentioned in the available documentation. However, their nickname has become known, namely les Gugus, a term used in French to indicate characters considered as grotesque or comic.
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| his photo (May 2021) by Didier B as on Google Streetview |
In early 2021, when the municipality was considering renovating the area near the house, including the construction of a parking lot for beach visitors, residents of Port-Joinville feared that the house, still decorated with shells and pebbles, would have to disappear.
However, this was not the case. On the contrary, the municipality, now owner of the building which was empty at the time, renovated it and in early 2025 put it up for sale.
Documentation
* Article (February 2022) in newspaper Ouest-France
* Article (December 2023) in newspaper le Courier Vendéen
Anonymous couple
Maison aux coquillages
32 rue de la Plage.
Port-Joinville, l'Ile-d'Yeu, dept Vendée,, region Pays de la Loire, France
can be seen from the street
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