Venetian House, Coleford - Photos (General)

by djt, Monday, April 23, 2007, 05:01 (6426 days ago) @ admin

Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of Venetian House which was at 43 Lords Hill, but I was lucky enough to live there from 1982 to 1987. As an earlier post says, it was owned by Mr and Mrs Prisk, who occupied about half of the ground floor. The rest of the house was let out. I had a large room at the front as a bed-sit, plus use of a small kitchen. Another room downstairs was let for bed and breakfast, while the whole of the upstairs was let as a self contained flat. It stood in a large garden, with a well at the bottom.

I can't say it was a beautiful house. It must have grown over several centuries, rather than been designed, as made clear by the number of different roofs it had. The walls were very thick, and there were several slightly different levels on the ground floor, separated by one or two steps. My room had a cupboard set into the front wall of the house,and there must have been a wooden beam above it with deathwatch beetle in, as at about this time of year I used to hear their tapping at night.

The house always needed a lot of maintenance, and very shortly after I moved out Mr and Mrs Prisk sold up and moved to a more modern house. I believe it was then used as a dental practice for some time, my room becoming the surgery. It then changed hands at least one more time before, rather sadly, being demolished. Its site and garden are now occupied by a small housing estate of, I think, five (good sized) houses, and I believe the well still exists in the back garden of one of them.