My oldest, Kimbo, arrives tomorrow (Dover willing), and will stay for a week or so.
He has booked himself into 'The Tower' (I know it's not a pukka tower, but we call it that anyway).
It has no electricity; light comes via Candles. It is a very peaceful room with big glazed double doors that look out over perfectly tranquil countryside. Kimbo loves it.
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The interior is very basic. One bed, a cupboard, a couple of mirrors, and a few candlesticks. The beams are Oak, and the floor is of hand-made thick rustic 20 by 20 cm terracotta tiles. There is one side window which looks out over the front of the house, an oval oeil de boeuf window behind the bed, and a faux Arrow Slit window (which I made).
I do remember some twit saying to me that building our Tower where we did would ruin the garden. In fact it's made it into a far more interesting lay-out. I cannot now imagine life without it.
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We built the tower ourselves. I had a builder do the basic foundations and build block walls to a certain height. Then I continued the walls upwards, put in the extremely heavy ceiling timbers, built the decorative genoise, constructed and tiled the roof. I plastered the interior and rendered the exterior. It was hard work, and we learned as we went along.
And this is the corner that you can see in the mirror above.
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It was a fun project, and a legacy of which we're extremely proud. It's very nice to know that Kimbo prefers to sleep there than anywhere else!
34 comments:
I had imagined you would have been sleeping there during the hot weather. It looks very tranquil.
Lady M did for a while.
I would have thought he would have avoided both a Saturday and Dover Calais
We thought that too. We haven't heard where he is. I think he was hoping to go through the tunnel.
It's a very pretty tower, equally nice inside as out.
I hope it'll be even better in about 100 year's time; when it's mellowed.
You are entitled to feel proud of it. It's a great achievement to have built something so appealing and very functional.
PS does it come with a gazunder?
I love that tower. You did an amazing job. It looks even more pleasing with all the greenery and flowers. I can understand why kimbo enjoys his stay there
No, they have to trek into the house; or go 'au naturel' of course.
I've just spoken to him, he'll be here after lunch.
It is a place that inspires a lot of calm and peace. It takes a lot of talent to create a place like this.
I think we were a bit crazy too. I'd never constructed a roof before, or even tiled one.
What a fine achievement! It must give you a warm glow when you look at The Tower and whisper to yourself, "I made that!"
You were a little younger, I assume. It is quite a project. The oak beams tying it all together I am sure will keep it upright for generations to come.
For the sake of convenience perhaps some discreet battery powered LED lighting could be added. LEDs don't have to be cold white.
What a beautiful, calming space.
It does indeed. I also look at it occasionally and think 'did I really build that?'.
It was built about 12 years ago when I was a sprightly 64 year old. I suppose I could add a solar powered indoor light somehow. I shall look online.
It does have a lovely calm feeling about it. I occasionally take a siesta there, and love it.
Are you taking bookings? looks lovely.
It looks delightful.
Just turn up; you'd be welcome.
My son has just turned up, he said "Ah, lovely".
A perfect peaceful room that looks nice and cool.
That's gorgeous! There is something soul satisfying about completing a huge project and knowing that my handiwork will endure long after I move on.
Perfect for that afternoon snooze in hot weather.
I agree. We surprised ourselves.
What a wonderful retreat. I was stunned when I read you built it yourself. It looks like it's been there for hundreds of years. Enjoy the days ahead with Kimbo.
I did try to make it look like a traditional Pigeon tower. The interior is more authentic than the exterior, but it'll mature with time.
Your tower build sounds like a labor of love. It is beautiful. I hope Kimbo's travel goes well. You'll know first-hand about how the traffic flow and border crossings are working.
A beautiful haven of peace. Well done
He had no problems, and in fact arrived earlier than he'd imagined. Nice to have them all here.
Tiling the roof was the worst bit. It seemed a lot higher from on top.
It is a beautiful place. I really love it.You really should start an AirBnB. Your blog friends might be queuing up.
I just looked for Norfolk where we used to live and it is amazing what they ask for staying. Prices have gone up. Not to talk abouth the South of course, even worse.
We have often joked about having a 'total off-grid experience' holiday place, but I think it would be more fun planning it than staying there.
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