We learn about the history of Canterbury's most crooked house

KentOnline / KMTV

It has links to Dickens, Pochahontas and even David Copperfield, who may have described it in the book as "bulging into the road."  We spoke about it more on The Kent Morning Show.

Transcript

00:00We've got some history news for you now, there might be a clue on the screen, rather wonky.

00:04Is it our cameras or is it wonky? That's the question.

00:07I think anybody who's been to Canterbury before will know this place.

00:11It's iconic, very close to the cathedral, looks like it's going to fall down but it's not.

00:16It's now a bookshop but it's known as the Crooked House.

00:20We're going to give you a bit of the backstory of the building now.

00:24We've been speaking with a historian, you can read plenty more about this over on Kent Online.

00:29It's known as the Crooked House, it was built in 1617, apparently didn't become quite so crooked until around 1850

00:37when the chimney wasn't aligned properly and they removed it causing the house to start leaning.

00:43There's even been some historical figures linked to the building like Charles Dickens, Pocahontas

00:49and some believe it's referenced in David Copperfield where he mentions a house that's bulging over the road in Canterbury.

00:57It's most likely going to be that one, isn't it?

00:59Now it's a second hand bookshop, as you said Bartholomew, for the homeless charity Catching Lives.

01:04Second most pictured structure in the city, any guesses for the number one?

01:08The cathedral, I would guess. It's an interesting one.

01:12I used to actually live very close to here and so I would often walk by when I'm going to get my milk or my bread in the morning.

01:18The amount of people that would stop and take a picture, it was a daily thing that you would see.

01:26You'd get lots of visitors, lots of people that come from overseas to see Canterbury, lots of groups of school children.

01:32So you'd hear all the different languages, all the different ways of saying, oh wow, that house looks incredible.

01:38Well, we've got an expert but I don't think we need one if we've got you sat here.

01:42No, no, that's probably the limit as I saw it today.

01:45Let's hear from a Canterbury historian, Trevor Gardner, on exactly what the crooked house is all about.

01:52Well, it's a very good story. The central chimney breast was demolished for whatever reason.

02:01There was some structural damage to it and unfortunately in 1850 it started to fall down.

02:06The building itself started to lean and they removed the chimney breast and they built a steel collar around that

02:14and there's a steel collar around the house itself as well.

02:17So it's a very stable house now but it was a structural problem and it's been rectified.

02:23But that was about 1850 this took place and ever since it's held its shape, despite the fact that the door looks wonky,

02:32but that's just been made to look that way.

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