The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-04-21
MANY ODD HOUSES
Great Number of Queer Habita-
tons Found in England.
Old Cottage That Is Much Like Peg
goty's Boathouse and Other Freak
Dwellings Are Encountered.

The largest private dwelling house in
England we know. 1t is Wentworth
Woodhouse, the seat of Earl Fitzwil-
liam, in Yorkshire. The oldest inhab-
tied house is said to be the sO-calied
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 Il writer in London Answers.
Many tourists who know Conway
will 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 Is 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 a house brings the town than
of the greater fame brought by the big
ger building, and picture-pOStcard ven
ders do q large trade in cards of ii.
Between Gravesend and the village
of Chalk, and situated in a curious pO-
sition, with the Thames on one side
and the Thames and Midway canal on
the other. is an old cottage that is half
n boat. 1t has stood there certainly
since the time of Charles Dickens, who
lived in the neighbOrhOOd and may
well have had il in mind when he in
vented Peggotty's boathouse on Var
mouth sands in David COpperfield."
This is almost such another, and is
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
per floor OF the cottage.
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. It 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 central
hall, with three wings branching from
it at equal distances.
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 II, dying, as he did, in 1856.
Our next example Of an eccentric
dwelling house. is 10 be found in a very
different part Of the country-away in
Lincolnshire, near HorncastIe. From
its fancied resemblance to a teapot it
is locally known as Teapot Hall" 1t
was built, according to tradition, by
retired captain of one of the old tea
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 1.-THE
Grange" LeOminster, HerefOrdshire,
and it 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 a structure entirely of elabo-
rately marked wood, and formerly
stood IN the center Of the town. 1t had
an open ground floor used as a butter
market This extremely beautiful relic
of the seventeenth century was in 1853
found by the town council of Leo
minister to be in the way and it was
sold at auction for f95.