Saturday, July 25, 2009

~ House On A Rock ~









Some people will do anything to live in isolation. Might be nice in the summer, but must be tough in a North Eastern storm.
Clingstone, an unusual, 103-year-old mansion in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, survives through the love and hard work of family and friends.
Henry Wood, the owner, runs the house like a camp: all skilled workers welcome. The Jamestown Boatyard hauls the family's boats and floating dock and stores them each winter in return for a week's use of the house in the summer.
Mr. Wood, a 79-year-old Boston architect, bought the house with his ex-wife, Joan, in 1961 for $3,600. It had been empty for two decades.

Clingstone had been built by a distant cousin, J.S. Lovering Wharton. Mr. Wharton worked with an artist, William Trost Richards, to create a house of picture windows with 23 rooms on three stories radiating off a vast central hall.

The total cost of the construction, which was completed in 1905, was $36,982.99

An early sketch of the house. Mr. Wood is as proud as any parent of his house, and keeps a fat scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings that document its best moments. Many of the historic photos he has were provided by the company that insured the house for its original owners.

The Newport Bridge is visible from the windows of the Ping-Pong room, to the left of the fireplace.

The house is maintained by an ingenious method: the Clingstone work weekend. Held every year around Memorial Day, it brings 70 or so friends and Clingstone lovers together to tackle jobs like washing all 65 of the windows. Anne Tait, who is married to Mr. Wood's son Dan, refinished the kitchen floor on one of her first work weekends.

There are 10 bedrooms at Clingstone, all with indecently beautiful views

The dining room table seats 14. Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend.

Sign by the ladder that leads to the roof reads: No entry after three drinks or 86 years of age. "It used to say 80 but we had a guy on a work weekend who was 84, so I changed it," said Mr. Wood, ever the realist. It would have been a shame to curtail the activities of a willing volunteer.

No lawn, no neighbors, no solicitors, no busy streets/autos!!!

31 comments:

  1. Hello my friend, it's great to be back and I love this house what a truly amazing place, I think I would be a little scared in a bad storm but the views are wonderful what an achievement they must be so proud of it. What would we do without these wonderful people who have such vision.

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  2. What a stunning home. Don't think I could do it, but for the right person-marvelous!

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  3. wow, i love it, who would of thought you could build a house there.

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  4. Wow! It made me think, "like a ship gone aground!" LOL

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  5. It would be great to visit.
    Patsy

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  6. Hi Marydon :)

    WOW! What a beautiful home and piece of history! I loved this post :)

    rue

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  7. Oh Marydon!
    I just never know what interesting story you are going to find for us. This is a jewel of a find. I wouldn't mind working a little to be able to visit and spend some time there. Wow, a storm sure would be scary there tho. I don't know. Update on Amy. She is having some problems with her left eye. I believe Debbie is trying to get her in to see an eye Dr. today if she can. Something isn't right. We don't know if it is connected to this test or the cancer. I will keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by honey. I just love to have you visit. Country Hugs, Sherry

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  8. Good morning Marydon!

    Hmmmm.......not my kind of living....I need to be close to a store...ya just never know when you might need a gallon of milk! But, it is beautiful, isn't it? I wonder, do they have internet out there? You'd sure never have to worry about drop-in visitors, would you? :-)

    You always find the most interesting things to post about....I always enjoy coming over.

    Loved the post about your son too! What a guy.

    Hugs,
    Spencer

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  9. Very interesting information and beautiful views, but I'd be so worried about having a storm the whole time I'd be there that I'd never be able to enjoy myself!!!

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  10. So interesting! I enjoyed reading this. Thanks!

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  11. WOW...this is really interesting, differnt. Not sure it would be for me. I like people to much. Storms scare me...but wow, sure can imagine the views.

    Very cool.
    Sandy

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  12. I think I could do a month or two at a time there! It is a gorgeous place.
    Rhonda

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  13. The home is beautiful...BUT....

    I don't usually crave isolation because being married to a truck driver gives me way too much alone time.

    Great post...Very interesting!!

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Love,
    Marilyn

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  14. What an incredible house! I would definitely live in a house like that.
    Micki

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  15. I would love to live somewhere near water...I just get lulled by any lapping or even raindrops hitting it...stretches and yawns~~

    Have a nice evening!☺

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  16. What interesting pictures of an interesting house! I don't know if I could do it but I understand the motivation. Thanks for a nice read.
    Linda

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  17. A weekend there sounds great. I love Newport and that area is one of my favorites.

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  18. wow, how cool, I'd love to visit this house/mansion

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  19. Hi Marydon, You always have the most interesting info and history. I love this one. What a great place for a peaceful getaway. Beautiful to visit, but I don't think I could live there.

    Blessings, Celestina Marie

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  20. What an awesome and amazing house...hugs, Linda

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  21. What an amazing house! I've never heard of this place before. Very interesting, but I don't think I would want to live there ;-)

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  22. Marydon:
    It looks and sounds like a wonderful place to visit, but I'm quite sure I couldn't afford the upkeep to own it!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Donna

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  23. Wow Marydon, my husband loves boating and wants to live by the water. I like the idea of the isolation. The house looks big enough to stay away from each other if we need. better than the houseboat idea we have. Thanks for sharing!

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  24. Amazing house! I don't live very far from there. I had no idea there was anything like that around there. Thanks for sharing! -Jackie

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  25. How cool! You'd have to be unafraid of the water to live there. I bet the views are awesome! I wonder what the resale value is? LOL!

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  26. Hi Marydon!! That is so neat, I would love to live there...or even just a visit would be fun!!...have a nice weekend! hugs, Jennifer

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  27. LOL!!!! I love the sign that's posted, tooo funny. Ya know....isolation is good, I could SOOOOOOOOO live there. ;) Hope you're having a super wonderful weekend!!!
    ♥ Teresa

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  28. How fun - I would love it IF it were closer to shore and connected to shore by a nice, sturdy bridge!! Beautiful place and someone really did something that seems impossible! Carol

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  29. It's brilliant so beautiful but I'd have to have a lawn!

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  30. This house is amazing! I had to call my husband over here to look at it as I knew he would love it (and he does! It's his new dream house!), he always said he wanted to live on his own island. If this was his island and house I'd be willing to join him!
    Thanks for posting this! Very interesting!
    All the best, Eileen

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  31. I LOVE IT! I'm pretty sure I could live in isolation myself. Especially in that house.

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