Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Architecture Wednesday: The Yorkshire Bolthole

This is the Yorkshire bolthole. Bolthole, you say? It sounds a bit perverted but the Cambridge English dictionary defines a bolthole as 'a place you can go to when you want to get away from your usual life and escape'.

Well, this is an escape, though it’s right out there for everyone to see. The Yorkshire Bolthole is also Grade II-listed—defined as a UK building or structure that is "of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve it—and  is part of a glorious Georgian country estate.

Sounds fascinating, but what’s the catch? Well, it measures just 10ft 5” by 8ft 6” and just might be Britain’s smallest home at just 406 square feett.

It’s located on the Grimston Park Estate in North Yorkshire, and the Old Gatehouse, as it is more commonly known—doesn’t it sound a wee bit more glamorous than bolthole—is for sale at £225,000, or just a hair under $280,00USD.

It looks like a limestone cube though it conceals a semi-subterranean layout featuring a sunken living room and kitchen, bathroom—with freestanding tub—and a space-saving spiral staircase that connects to the mezzanine bedroom above, and a cozy private garden.

Yeah, it’s a wee house, but how much space does one really need?

25 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Deedles .... liked ......... :::thud::::

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    2. Ha! Weird ain't it?

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    3. I'm still floored.
      Literally, I am on the floor.

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  2. I love this place! Perfect for keeping up appearances.

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  3. OMG how cute!
    I do have to admit that I did NOT read 'bolthole'. I'm rather dirty with first impressions. But his bolthole is adorable.

    XOXO

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    1. I, too, am childish and read it as something altogether different, but no less interesting.

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  4. It is cute. And historical. And tiny...
    xoxo :-)

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  5. I could live there...room to spread out...and I like old. The grounds are stunning.The inside shocked me a bit...I expected more ornate interior features and architectural elements. But my rich husband can deal with that dalink.

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    1. It does need a zhuzh in the interiors, but you could make it fabulous!

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  6. Way too tiny for me. The word that kept racketing back in forth in my head was claustrophobic.

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  7. Love it!
    So ingenious. And I love the little garden! So unexpected.

    XOXO

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    1. I like that wee courtyard and that you have access to the gardens!

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    1. I think it's the definition of cozy!

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  9. Looks perfect to me. Can you ship it to Adelaide, Australia by Christmas?

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    1. Let me see if I have a box!

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  10. For me the size is not the issue, it is the lack of windows, and the bed - climbing up to fall out. It looks more like a place for eternal rest - a mausoleum.

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    1. So, you live in it until the end, and then you lie in it for eternity?

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  11. Truly amazing and YAZZZZZZ. How perfect and how fun. Well done. The colors? Meh. But how fun and what a little find. I had no idea. I see that from the outside, I think mausoleum. Adorable and livable. Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea such things existed. The original tiny house.

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  12. I won't be putting in an offer any time soon as I am not a hamster.

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  13. (late as usual, ask IDV) anyway, the first time I came across the term "bolthole" was reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes when I was a kid! I love this one, but I think I'd have to use it as a quick, short term hideaway, not long term. I need more space for everyday stuff. xoxo

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