The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-09-28
WRITES ABOUT
ancient mint HOUSE
MinOt Architect Tells About Famous
Building in England Hundreds of
Years Old.

Years Old.
In the July number of the Western
Architect, the leading publication fol
architects in the United States, the
following interesting article from tho
zen of Robert B. Stacy-Judd, Minot
architect, appeared:
Looming through the mist of time
to an indefinite birth, nor scared by
the hand Of man in his THIRST fol
change, and withal nesting ir the rus.
tic simplicity Of an unspoiled old Eng,
lish village, stands one of those gems
of medieval domestic architecture
which serve to light the tortuous
paths upon which the earnest Master
Builder must wend his way. No
House with Thousand Candles is
this, no mansion with intricate wind
ings and lordly halo, but an edifice,
small and calm, yet with watchful
eye ever sweeping coast line of
cratic disposition, reposes this ancient
dweller of bricks and mortar, quietly
enjoying memories which fill thous-
and years and more. And as the chan
mel waters frolic at its feet it snugly
ensconses itself within the circle of a
few old friends and recounts the many
stirring and interesting incidents Of
it's youth and middle age
"When but a babe, a Romance
mented-cobble-walled, ungainlv sturdy
hut, it recalls how the lusty sons of a
now decadent power, labored within
it's walls to mold unwieldy coin Of the
realm for their despotic masters. And
later it heard the discordant voices of
a Roman multitude, who strived to
cultivate those new-found shores -
but that was in the past, the murky,
hazy past, when it was but an embryo.
from ten thousand lusty threats, un-
der the leadership Of William the
Conqueror, as his warriors storm the
giant walls of Pevensey Castle, hard
by. And again rings the sound of the
mint-and again, and again, hence the
reason for its present cognomen -
The Mint House. It's fame as mint
ing house spread through the reigns
Of William the Conqueror, 1O66-1OS7,
William Rufus 1O87-11OO. and King
Stephen, 1135-1154. Small reason this
ancient laughs to scorn the rasping
voice of the unbeliever, for at least
four of the coins from those periods
repose in the British Museum. True
it's claim to minting in the days of the
Romans is not authenticated, yet it's
listeners are ever capable, and why
not? Does not Time demand respect?
And Time has long been it's friend.
"The successes of later life served
to alleviate the bitterness it felt when
its embryo self was forced to accept
the company of host Of Indifferent
domiciles in the year 400 A. D., altho
the next three hundred years of stir
ring events served to create a certain
amount of sympathy for the unwel-
come associates, so in the year $50 A.
D. it condescended to become one of
them and the hamlet was given the
name of Pevensey, which name, with
stole Indifference, it still retains.
with wistful eye it chances few
hundred yards to the west and smiles
upon the ruins of once mighty cas-
tie, built upon the site of the Roman
castle of Anderida, then shifts it's gaze
to those mighty walls. twelve feet
thick, of the Roman Fortress which
was built in the year 800. Its eye
oAO"4y oIlu odOly C1dtClS ONc1 Vic lOllG
narrow bricks, bound together with
cement and the blood Of bulloeks, and
it murmurs-'My oldest friend
ut hardened back to the time when
the border line Of youth was crossed,
and how the hand of Time and the
needs of man fashioned the erstwhile
mint house. In that red letter year,
1912 A. D., it received it's present
shape and size, and for a period of two
hundred years it enjoyed an unruffled
calm, then in the year 1912 A. D. the
magic hand of DR.. Andrew Borde gave
to it renewed life which promises to
span to many centuries to come.
I cannot help but think Of that pic
turesque court figure Of the royal
quack, with his whimsical antics, his
wit and brilliant repartee, his learned
literary works, his versatility, his in
innate friendship with two kings.
ut ceases to recount and is lost in
reverie, and no doubt as it thinks it
sees the varied life of social turmoil
enacted within it's walls during those
long, long years, so let US glance upon
it's beauty while it thus rests.
"a decade ago those black oak half
timbered walls lay hidden behind
covering Of vertical tiles, and so it
was within, yet in the place of cloak
of tiles the walls were covered with
latE and plaster, and it was reserved
for idle curiosity of the modern human
being to unveil the long hidden beauty
The entrance hall is an emblem Of
the open-arm welcome so Individually
associated with the old English spirit,
with it's loaded light easement win
dcws, half-timber work and oak beam
ceiling. To the left of the entrance
hall, is magnificent dining-room law
ishly panelled and beamed. The beau
tiful carved over-mantel and fireplace,
although very old, are not part Of the
original structure, yet the Sussex fire.
back easily lulls one back to the
realms of antique-dom.
OF the tWentv-eipht rooms in the