Ye Olde Stone House

I've often wondered about this old stone house - today I looked it up on this site In the 16th C, Bishop Vesey built some stone cottages in a forest clearing for some of his 'poore kynsmen' (recorded by John Leland, Henry VIII's antiquarian) - this is the largest and best preserved example. It's now a stone's throw from Sutton town centre, on Maney Hill Rd, hidden by some ugly modern flats.

The most interesting feature is the 'coffin drop', built into one bedroom floor, allowing a dignified descent for deceased occupants, kept respectably level on their last journey - especially as the stone staircase is spiral. I'd love to see inside - maybe I'll knock on the door and ask someday...

It is thought that it was sited to guard one of the local bridle routes, this one linking Great Barr with Erdington. If an occupant was expecting trouble, he would keep watch, out of sight, through the arrow slit at the top of the spiral stairs, the original stone seat still in situ. Most intriguing are the marks, still obvious under the seat, where arrows were sharpened.

You can just see this arrow slit at the top right of the photo.

Today's Lent challenge - "be uncomfortable". Afraid all I did was go for a walk on my own to get this blip, as M was busy in the Prayer Room.