The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-12-08
MANY ODD HOUSES
Great Number of Queer Habita-
lions Found in England.
Old Cottage That Is Much Like Peg
aoty's Boathouse and Other Freak
Dwellings Are Encountered.


The largest private dwelling house in
England we know. Tt is Wentworth
WoOdhouse, the seat of Earl FitZwil-
liam, in Yorkshire The oldest inhab-
tied house is said TO be the so-called
Jews house." in Lincoln, of the Nor
man period, about eight hundred years
old. But which and where is the most
curious habitation in these islands?
asks a writer in London Answers.
Many tourists who know Conway
viii no doubt at once declare for the
miniature house to be found in that
town on the quay, and actually built
beneath the grim, ancient walls Of Ed
ward rs massive castle 1T thus forms
an extraordinary contrast with that
great fortress. for it is ''the smallest
house in Great Britain" as the notice
board on its very miniature frontage
declares.
The people of Conway seem to be
rather more proud of the fame this lit
tie slip of house brings the town than
! of the greater fame brought by the big
ger building, and picture-postcard ven-
ders do large trade in cards of it.
Between Gravesend and the village
of Chalk, and situated in curious POI
sition, with the Thames on one side
and the Thames and Midway canal on
the other, is an old cottage that is half
q boat. lit has stood there certainly
since the time Of Charles Dickens, who
! lived in the neighborhood and may
/ well have had it In mind when he in
vented Peggotty's boathouse on Yer
1 mouth sands in David Copperfeld.'
4 This is almost such another, and is
1 formed from one of the boats of the old
wooden man-o'-war Wellington, sold
out of the service in 1922. The boat,
upside down, forms both roof and up
fper floor of the cottage.
H A whimsical freak house OF consider
able size and great interest is that
known as the Tripod house" standing
In the village of Goodrich, on the River
Wye. 1t was built In 1886 by Rev
Thomas Swift, vicar Of Goodrich and
grandfather Of the famous Dean Swift
His idea was to thus typify the trinity
and to do so he designed and built the
house on this curious plaza centra
hall, with three wings branching from
it at equal distances.
H The unfortunate vicar and builder OF
this quaint house was a devoted royal
list, and as such his odd dwelling was
pillaged no fewer than twenty times
by the soldiers of the parliament, who
also stole all his cattle and farm stock
He did not live to see the restoration
of Charles III, dying, as he did, in 1856
Our next example Of an eccentric
dwelling house Is TO be found In very
different part of the country away II
Lincolnshire, near Horncastle. From
/ its fancied resemblance to a teapot Il
/ is locally known as saTeapot Hail."
was built, according to tradition, by {
| retired captain OF one Of the old ''tes
clippers" as the fast sailing ships In
the China trade used to be called.
/ A very fine and particularly striking
| residence is that known as Ths
Grange" Leominster, Herefordshire
and 1t has an astonishing history, hav
ing once been the town hall and But
ter Cross. Built In 1888 from designs
by the famous Herefordshire architect
John Abel. who worked chiefly in tim
Der, it is structure entirely OF elabo
rately marked wood. and former1,
stood in the center Of the town. It hae
an open ground floor used as a buttel
market. This extremely beautiful reli,
Of the seventeenth century was In 1S5;
found by the town council of Leo
minister to be in the way and 1t wa
sold at auction for EOS.