Inside the artist's shaky medieval house, which could be yours for a large sum of money
A FAMOUS artist's incredible rickety home dates back almost 600 years and can be yours for an eye-watering price.
Quentin Blake lived in the crooked medieval mansion in the old town of Hastings, East Sussex, for more than fifty years.
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The top floor of the black-and-white half-timbered building juts out over the sidewalk outside and leans sharply to the left.
It is now for sale through the Unique Property Company – for £950,000.
The large manor house was built in 1450 as a 'Wealden Hall' for a lord of the manor, the medieval word for a wealthy commoner.
At the time the house had extensive grounds and a traditional thatched roof.
Beautiful fireplaces, stairs and glass windows were added under the Tudors and are still extant next to the 15th century front door.
In Victorian times the building was called the “Merry Christmas Beer House”, where weary travelers met the rowdy locals.
Quentin Blake, now 91, bought the five-bed house in 1972 after achieving huge success with his much-loved illustrations for Roald Dahl's books.
In 2017 he said Aspect Country: “I moved to Hastings years ago. That wasn't my intention and I bought a house there.
'It almost feels medieval. I've grown to love it. There are fishing boats at the end of the road.
“I come there regularly. The sea is a constant and strong presence in my work.”
'REMARKABLE'
Blake sold the property in 2022 to the current owners, who painstakingly restored it.
The Unique Property Company said: 'The work carried out by the current owners means the house is likely to remain standing for several hundred years to come.
“It is certainly perfectly healthy for the foreseeable future in the hands of owners who realize that a historic home should be lived in and loved.”
The five-bedroom house is a short walk from Hastings beach and the sea can be heard from the garden.
Officer Madelaine Cooper told it Evening standard: “It really is a special and beautiful house.
'So much history there, and yet very comfortable to live in.
“It is also a house that will connect you with Britain's domestic history with every discovery of how light falls in a particularly pleasing way or how a step is worn and sloped.
“You've had a million feet trod before you.
“The house will bring joy that simply cannot be found in a modern home.”
Who is Lord Quentin Blake?
SIR Quentin Blake, 91, was born in Sidcup, Kent in 1932.
The artist is best known for bringing Roald Dahl's characters to life with instantly recognizable illustrations.
Blake illustrated George's Marvelous Medicine, The Twits, The BFG of Revolting Rhymes, and most of Dahl's other children's books.
He has always worked with waterproof ink and dip pens and published cartoons in newspapers and magazines such as The Spectator.
In an interview, Blake said, “I do a free-flowing drawing that looks like it was done on a whim.
“But even a single drawing requires a certain amount of preparation and planning.”
Sir Quentin was appointed the very first Children's Laureate in 2016, concluding a wonderful career.
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