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Published: February 24th 2009
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Webshots Desktop
One day - "House in the Clouds" image just appeared in my desktop last year. It was fed by webshots desktop daily feed to my laptop. There it was up in the sky - shrouded by the clumps clouds and mystifying mist. It was a beautiful image. I thought at that time - its a lovely picture.
The house sits at the top of a long pillar. The pillar is 6 stories high rectangular sky scraper with multiple windows. A real house sits on top with high gabled roof complete with fire chimney jetting up from one side of the roof. The pillar is jet black color dotted with multiple white framed windows which are aesthetically pleasing to look at. The house itself is painted in brick red and sports couple of rectangular white windows.
As the day went by the desktop image started to intrigue me more and more and my stroked my curiosity to ask Why? Why it is up there, How it came about, Who planned it and so on. So I searched the Internet and found the website for the house 'houseintheclouds.com'.
Holiday home
It turns out it that the house is
a family holiday accommodation catering for families. It has 5 floors and a small surrounding ground where children can run around. The top most house is a common area where they have put snooker table. Rest of the floors are simply bed rooms. The bottom floor or the first floor is used as kitchen.
Even though its 5 floors - the house does not have a lift. Instead they have put up a resting chair at the top of each stair case you need to climb. Rest a bit, get your breath back and tread along to the next floor and do the same until you reach the house, literally up in the clouds.
Bemused James
Since coming across the photo - it was always at the back of my mind that I wanted to visit it to see how it really looked. However I never got around to visiting it. Once I had to travel up to Norfolk passing very close to Thorpeness village where the house is - but didn't have time to take the detour. Damn.
Last weekend, I was bit bored and didn't have much to do. So Called my friend James and
told him that the quaint house has been inviting me for a quite a while and now I wanted to go there. James was intrigued and rather bemused by my suggestion. Nevertheless he agreed to go and thats that. After about an hour we were on the road to the house on the clouds.
No rooms and No Food either !
Its was 3 hours drive up from Guildford. We arrived at 10 at night. Around 8 o clock I suggested to James that we should get our supper as we were heading to a small village and we might not find any hotels. But for some reason James thought it would be ok and we will be able to find a chipper some where. And so we kept driving.
Sure to my fears - there was no rooms in the couple of hotels in the village. One of the bar man suggested to try the golf club as they might have a room. So we went towards the golf club but missed the turn and ended up driving down south, groping in the dark towards the next town.
When we reached the town there we found
couple of Best Western hotels but fully booked as it was school half-term weekend. One of the hotel receptionist had a hair-do like someone had caught hold of hair and gave it a violent tug, making the hairs all swirled up and clumped up ! I was tempted to tell her that she needs a hair wash. Sure to match her exotic hair-do - she offered us a room 90 pound per night. 90 pounds in small village ! We weren't happy to pay that much. So we didn't take the offer. I was beginning to wonder what we were going to do - No room and no food. I could eat a horse at that stage.
Fine apartment and Fine Food
Then we thought we will find the golf club. So got directions again and eventually found the club. Alas, no rooms there as well. At that stage, I was ready to throw up my hands in the air out of frustration and James lost all his will to live ! At that stage - We had been on the road for more than 4 hours and the last one hour been driving around in the dark like
head less chickens. All that while being hungry.
As we prepared to leave, on a second thought the lady in the reception asked, 'will you be happy to stay in an apartment for 90 pounds'. I said 'of course' and took it instantly. When she took us to the apartment I couldn't believe our luck. It was a lovely 2 bed apartment tastefully decorated and warm. Our luck for the night has changed for the good. Soon after that at 11pm we found a restaurant as well where we had a sumptuous meal.
Its unique, isn't it
The next morning we went to drop the keys off in the golf course - and it was just beyond the car park, the house came into view for the first time. I must say I was bemused and a bit bewildered to see a house perched up so high in the sky. Rather surreal feel to it. I asked James What he thought of it and he said 'its unique, isn't it'.
We made out way to the house. The closure we got the better it became - the house is really a beautiful structure indeed. It was quaint
and rather unique. The board in the front carries a quote from one of the resident who perhaps stayed there some time ago -
—Inspired by the House. Mrs Malcolm Mason. 1923.
“The fairies really own this house
or so the children say,
In fact, they all of them moved in
upon the self same day.”
What a wonderful description.
I must confess - I am kind of inclined to think it is true.
Address:
Thorpeness village,
Suffolk.
Near Ipswich city.
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