Tinker's House nr Walberswick (Suffolk)

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hamishsfriend

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The derelict house is situated on the edge of Tinker's Marsh, on the south side of the Blyth estuary, only slightly above sea level in an area that has always been prone to flooding. I have failed to find any history concerning the house and its owners.

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The glass in most windows has been smashed in and the porch door stands wide open. Brambles and nettles are thriving in what used to be the front garden.

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The roof tiles appear to have been taken off a long time ago and being open to the elements, the upstairs floors have rotted and collapsed, blocking the doors leading into the downstairs rooms.

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A glimpse through one of the glass-less windows reveals that one of the items left behind when the owners moved on was a grand piano.

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Nettles are growing on the bathroom floor and the remains of a seat block the entrance into the porch.

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The only room that is still accessible is the kitchen, complete with gas cooker, stove, sink and cupboards, pots and pans - and lots of rusty food tins.

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During the storm surge in November 2007, Tinker's Marsh wall was breached in 10 places and the Environmental Agency have since refused repair. Tinker's House appears to have been abandoned several decades ago, perhaps not only because of the problem with flooding but also because of the isolation. Until recently only a grassy track used to lead down here. Walkers who wish to continue on their way down to the River Blyth are taken over the fence by a wooden style. A narrow footpath leads right past the derelict house.

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How interesting, thanks! I'd not seen a similar cooker before and was therefore unable to put a date on it.

The gas taps fitted to this 'Main' oven are of the same type as those fitted to a 1934 Main oven (coal gas) illustrated in a Wiki article. However, bottled gas (Butane) was not introduced into the UK until the setting up of Calor in 1935, so suggest this is a late 30's model - the blue cylinder indicates it is jetted for butane and propane fueled cookers were only introduced post war. The Calor company expanded into rural areas very quickly, so it is possible that the earliest date could be 1936. The architectural features of the house - round porch window and Critall windows and doors indicated that this house could have been built during the mini rural building boom of the mid 30's.
 
The gas taps fitted to this 'Main' oven are of the same type as those fitted to a 1934 Main oven (coal gas) illustrated in a Wiki article. However, bottled gas (Butane) was not introduced into the UK until the setting up of Calor in 1935, so suggest this is a late 30's model - the blue cylinder indicates it is jetted for butane and propane fueled cookers were only introduced post war. The Calor company expanded into rural areas very quickly, so it is possible that the earliest date could be 1936. The architectural features of the house - round porch window and Critall windows and doors indicated that this house could have been built during the mini rural building boom of the mid 30's.

Thank you very much. So, the house most likely dates from the 1930s and was, in all probability, abandoned in the mid-70s. The fairly short time it was inhabited explains why there is no 'historical' information to be found.
 
Looking at the pictures again I reckon there must be a well near by.The hand pump{looks similar to a ROC sump pump} seems to be feeding upwards probably to a tank in the attic and I guess this isolated property isn't on the mains.Maybe a reason for abandonment was sea water pollution of the supply when the floods came in at some point.
 
Amazing find, did the base and top of the paraffin lamp shown in separate pics actually match up? Thanks for sharing.

Good question. No, I did not try if they'd fit together, I thought the base to be too small to match the top.
 
Looking at the pictures again I reckon there must be a well near by.The hand pump{looks similar to a ROC sump pump} seems to be feeding upwards probably to a tank in the attic and I guess this isolated property isn't on the mains.Maybe a reason for abandonment was sea water pollution of the supply when the floods came in at some point.

There are ditches (draining into the Blyth estuary) at the lower end of the house and I am guessing that they took the water from there. Sea water pollution is very possible, considering the location, which was obviously not a good choice to begin with.
 
Thank you very much. So, the house most likely dates from the 1930s and was, in all probability, abandoned in the mid-70s. The fairly short time it was inhabited explains why there is no 'historical' information to be found.

I think you are correct in this supposition. A point about the early Calor set up which you may find interesting - pre war all their distribution to rural areas was by the rail network, even when they opened distribution centers. post war there was a rapid switch to local road haulage and in house transport. This pattern of delivery method was only following the post war switch from nationalised rail to nationalised road transport seen all over the UK during this period.
 
Many thanks for sharing this place. It looks fantastic!
You really do find some great places, and give a superb write up to go with them. :)

-RR
 
I think you are correct in this supposition. A point about the early Calor set up which you may find interesting - pre war all their distribution to rural areas was by the rail network, even when they opened distribution centers. post war there was a rapid switch to local road haulage and in house transport. This pattern of delivery method was only following the post war switch from nationalised rail to nationalised road transport seen all over the UK during this period.

Yes, I did find interesting, thank you, again!
 
Many thanks for sharing this place. It looks fantastic!
You really do find some great places, and give a superb write up to go with them. :)

-RR

Thank you for your nice comment. :)

Some are well hidden but this place is right next to a public footpath (where you can see my dog waiting patiently - pic taken through the round window in the porch). It takes a bit of walking to reach it, though.

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