Smallest House in Great Britain

Smallest House in Great Britain
Location Conwy, Wales
Coordinates 53°16′57″N 3°49′43″W / 53.2824°N 3.8285°W / 53.2824; -3.8285Coordinates: 53°16′57″N 3°49′43″W / 53.2824°N 3.8285°W / 53.2824; -3.8285
Built 16th century
Location of Smallest House in Great Britain in Conwy

The Smallest House in Great Britain (Welsh: Y Tŷ Lleiaf ym Mhrydain Fawr), also known as the Quay House, is a tourist attraction on the quay in Conwy, Wales. It is reputed to be Britain's smallest house.[1]

History

The minuscule home was created in the 16th century and remained in use until 1900, when the tenant was a 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) fisherman named Robert Jones.[2] The rooms were too small for him to stand up in fully and he was eventually forced to move out when the council declared the house unfit for human habitation, along with a number of properties. The house is still owned by his descendants, having been passed to female relatives since Robert's sons showed a lack of interest in the business.

After some persuasion by the then editor of the North Wales Weekly News, Roger Dawson (the owner) and the editor toured the UK in order to declare the house The Smallest House in Great Britain, a status that was later confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records.[3]

Architecture

The house has a floor area of 3.05 by 1.8 metres (10.0 by 5.9 ft) and is painted red. It stands near the Conwy Castle walls. The ground floor is devoted to the living area with room for coal and an open fire, and a water tap tucked behind the stairs. The upstairs holds the cramped bedroom, which also comes with a small niche for storage.

Tourism

Admission is £1.00 for adults or 50p for children; there is information about the house inside. A Welsh lady in traditional clothing stands outside when the house is open and will tell you about the history of the house.[4] Visitors are unable to go upstairs to the first floor, due to structural instability, but can view it from the step ladder. It is open from spring to autumn.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Owner Smallest House in Great Britain Dead". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 14 June 1926. p. 14. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Irvine, Chris (15 March 2010). "Flat 'smaller than a snooker table' worth £200,000". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Jones, Mari (2016-11-18). "History of the smallest house in Great Britain". northwales. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
  4. ↑ "Quay House, Conwy - Conwy Quay, Wales. Great Britain. - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
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