Metafilter: a very interesting modern home, set in a wetland. posted by persona at 8:17 PM on January 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Ooops! This very interesting home. posted by wilful at 8:17 PM on January 30, 2011
(Though the Billings Jackson link is really just as good) posted by wilful at 8:18 PM on January 30, 2011
Yay! Thank you, wilful. I was working backward and gave up just too soon.
It's lovely and I am jealous. But it would drive my husband nuts if we lived in a Martello tower because I would always be quoting Ulysses at him. posted by Sidhedevil at 8:25 PM on January 30, 2011 [5 favorites]
Hmm. Needs more iD logo. posted by sneebler at 8:32 PM on January 30, 2011
This is amazing, a really great piece of modern architecture that draws its power from the original form. I'll have to go see it, the next time I'm visiting my mum in Suffolk.
I spent a chunk of my childhood on the south coast of England, but all they did with Eastbourne's Martello Tower is put an (albeit rather cool & sepulchral) aquarium inside it. posted by Flashman at 8:35 PM on January 30, 2011
I'm more into modernist architecture than modernist literature, vacapinta. posted by wilful at 8:49 PM on January 30, 2011
That last wetland link seems to be bad - try here. posted by zamboni at 8:51 PM on January 30, 2011
Wait...so what you're telling me is that the "Marletto towers" in Heroes of Might and Magic are just a sloppy misspelling and that these things actually exist?!
In retrospect, I've read Ulysses, so you'd think I would have made the connection earlier. posted by Diagonalize at 8:58 PM on January 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Interesting post. Coming from colder climes, my first thought was "gotta cost a fortune to heat those things in winter". posted by Harald74 at 11:24 PM on January 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
@ Harald, or you could just put on some damn clothes ت ! But seriously, I sud see the Martello tower from Joyce's great work at a distance. Pretty cool. posted by Katjusa Roquette at 1:26 AM on January 31, 2011
@Harald - probably not. They have huge walls to withstand bombardment (they taper towards the top, but you're talking about two feet thick at the mid-point of the tower), which acts as insulation. You probably have to put a good bit of heat in to get them warm, but once they're warm they'll stay warm; ditto in summer I'd expect them to stay cooler longer than a normal house.
None of those links mention that the Martello Tower on Hoy (Hackness tower) that's a museum has a working cannon, that they fire on special occasions. As far as I'm concerned this would be an essential part of any conversion, and doesn't appear in any of the houses linked. Bah. posted by Coobeastie at 1:37 AM on January 31, 2011
Just down from the Martello Tower featured in the FPP is this one, in Aldeburgh, which you can also stay in.
[The Landmark Trust is a fantastic resource for staying in all sorts of unusual historic buildings, BTW]
I found a BBC series on bittorrent about different people all around the UK and their struggles with the government authorities after they bought listed properties and tried to make them livable. In one episode, a woman bought one of these towers and had a really, really hard time getting approval for the work she wanted to do. posted by crunchland at 4:56 AM on January 31, 2011
Great post, thanks wilful! posted by Mike Mongo at 7:08 AM on January 31, 2011
The photos of the conversions with the modern windows set into the wall (particularly number 13 on this list) make me wince, but I couldn't live in one of those buildings without more light than the original design allows either. posted by immlass at 7:23 AM on January 31, 2011
When I was kid we lived down the road from Martello towers, built to withstand the Napoleonic invasion that never happened. posted by ob at 7:54 AM on January 31, 2011
This is a really cool post. Thanks, wilful! posted by pineapple at 8:39 AM on January 31, 2011
posted by persona at 8:17 PM on January 30, 2011 [2 favorites]