Only 6 feet wide, the UK’s smallest house has an interesting history.
Only 6 feet wide, the UK's smallest house has an interesting history.
Only 6 feet wide, the UK’s smallest house has an interesting history.
The UK’s tiniest house, appropriately named The Tiniest House, is only 6 feet (72 inches) broad, making it about one foot (12 inches) narrower than the smallest house in America, The Spite House in Alexandria, Virginia, which is 7 feet (84 inches) across. The Conwy, Wales-based Smallest House is really much smaller overall, measuring only 10 feet 1 inch (122 inches) in height and 10 feet (120 inches) in depth Only 6 feet wide, the UK’s smallest house.
This 16th-century house, however small in size, has a living area, some very rudimentary cooking facilities, and a bedroom upstairs, making it just about big enough for habitation. Even though it’s better suited for a single person, couples have been known to live there as early as the 19th century.
The Smallest House was designed as an infill between the cottages on each side with good intentions, in contrast to other of the world’s smallest dwellings, which are frequently built as spite houses to confuse or bother neighbours. Like those dwellings, it is backed by the mediaeval town wall of Conwy, which dates back to 1283–1289, the same period as the neighbouring Conwy Castle (bottom). Following his conquest of the principality of Wales, King Edward I of England ordered the construction of Conwy Castle and the town walls.
Along with the nearby homes, The Smallest House was deemed unfit for habitation in 1900, when it was last occupied by a tenant fisherman named Robert Jones. It was reported that Robert Jones stood at six feet, three inches; thus, the ceilings were too low for him to stand up.
Only 6 feet wide, the UK’s smallest house
Conwy Quay’s mansion and the homes to the right were spared demolition, and it soon gained popularity as a tourist destination. Overnight, the terraced Smallest House became an end-of-terrace after others to the left were subsequently removed. The Guinness Book of Records supported the claim made by the property’s previous owner, Robert Jones, that the residence was the smallest in Great Britain. Currently closed owing to the pandemic, the mansion is still owned by the Jones family and is operated as a tourist attraction today.
Inside are stairs leading to the first story, a living room with an open fire, and a water tap. There is a little bedroom upstairs with a little nook for storage.
The mansion, which is painted a striking red and has a Welsh woman dressed in traditional garb standing outside to give guests a tour about the property’s history, will be open from spring to autumn following the outbreak. As a precaution against damaging the building’s structural stability, you are allowed inside but not upstairs. On the other hand, a step ladder allows you to see the bedroom!
Who in Great Britain owns the tiniest house?
Jan Tyley owns the smallest residence in Great Britain. The last person to live in The Smallest House was her great-great grandfather, Robert Jones.
The Smallest House in the World: Where?
The historic tiniest house in Conwy is not the same as the tiniest house in the world. It was constructed by nanorobotics experts at the Femto-ST Institute in Besançon, France, and is only 20 micrometres, or 0.02 mm, long. It’s safe to assume that it isn’t livable.
