The Smallest House in Great Britain, also known as the Quay House, is a tourist attraction on the quay in Conwy, Wales. It is reputed to be the smallest house in the United Kingdom.
The minuscule home was built 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. 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 owned by the landlord's descendants, the landlord being a man also named Robert Jones, 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 United Kingdom in order to declare the house The Smallest House in Great Britain, a status that was later confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records.
The house was recently involved in an advertising campaign by the furniture company Snug, who demonstrated that they could fit their sofa into the smallest house in Britain.
The house has a floor area of 3.05 by 1.8 m 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.
Tours of the house occur daily. A Welsh lady in traditional clothing stands outside when the house is open and will tell visitors about the history of the house. 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.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.