in the 1970's an eccentric designer and inventor (I can't remember his name I'm afraid) built himself a house near Annalong in the Kingdom of Mourne. He wanted to build it on a turntable, so that he could align it to the sun as it moved through the day - very New Age, and a great idea! Unfortunately practicalities precluded this - (as did the realisation of his 'concept aircraft', where lift and descent were determined by the clever positioning of bales of straw!)
He built his house on stilts instead.
On a stunning sunny evening last week, I found it again.
Roofless, sad an empty, it still resonates with eccentric charm - and beauty
 |
| peeping out - a wall pillar |
 |
| above the door 'The White House Annalong' |
 |
| decorated round window |
 |
| detail of window surround |
 |
| despite the lack of roof, remarkably intact |
 |
| looks like he's just stepped out to to a message |
 |
| living room fireplace |
 |
| the back kitchen, with salt - and roof timbers! |
 |
| living room- and intruder |
 |
| small change, still sitting on the mantelpiece |
 |
| beautiful.... |
 |
| idiosynchratic |
 |
| front door detailing |
 |
| living room window - note the sea through the other one |
 |
| painted doorway |
 |
| I have no idea what this is! |
 |
| positively Mediterranean |
 |
| no garden is complete without a concrete kangaroo..... |
 |
| or two! |
 |
| our very own Gaudi!! |
 |
| I think this should be preserved for posterity |
 |
| thanks to Google, here's a picture in happier times - with a roof, c.2008 |
6 comments:
Hi John - Why did the house fall into disrepair? Were there no offspring to carry the mantle?
Sadly our ancestral home on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal has become a pile of rocks, whereas a cottage just a mile down the road is beautifully preserved...it's a sadness when buildings are allowed to rot...surely someone would have found that quirky abode to their liking...
Hi John - Why did the house fall into disrepair, were there no offspring to carry the mantle?
Sadly our ancestral home on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal has become a pile of rocks, whereas a cottage just a mile down the road is beautifully preserved...it's a sadness when buildings are allowed to rot because there is no one left... ...surely someone would have found that quirky abode to their liking...
Thanks for sharing- definitely reminds me of Gaudi
Hi susanjeanne,
It's sad to see such places, I agree. I don't know what happened here, but hopefully with contacts from people who did know the guy, at least the story might be told.
It's still the ongoing tragedy here that,like your own folk's place, people move on (or pass on) and they're just left.
The housed we're lucky enough to have now (not yet fit to say we 'live' in it!) was vacated in 1977 - food in the cupboards, clothes in the wardrobes, beds made, ready for the next night. Amazing! And a treasure we aim to preserver as best we can.
Hi Mairéad.
It struck me as soon as I saw it! Don't know if he was aware or inspired by Gaudi, but he definitely gets my vote for our own master of Mourne Modernism!
What great atmospheric pictures, but yes, so sad to see places like that fall into disrepair - as you say, it looks like he just popped out for a minute...
Post a Comment