Britain's smallest home, a bright red house measuring just 72 inches across, 122 inches high, and 120 inches deep, sits tucked away in Conwy, a market town in north Wales. The diminutive property, which features two tiny windows and a stocky door, is so small that no one currently lives in it.
A 16th-century home with a 19th-century story
The house at 11 Lower Gate Street dates back to the 16th century. During the 19th century, it was lived in by couples and single people alike. Records show that in 1891, a local fisherman named Robert Jones bought the property for £20. A plaque inside the home reveals that, for that price, he also inherited a sitting tenant who shared the same name.
For nine years, renter Robert—who was reportedly an impressive 6 feet 3 inches tall, which would not have made things very comfortable—lived happily inside the unique property. That all came to an end in 1900, when local authorities declared the home completely unfit for human habitation.
From condemned to tourist attraction
Determined to ascertain whether the home was indeed the smallest in Britain, landlord Robert toured the nations and measured other similarly small dwellings. His efforts paid off: the home laid claim to the title of Britain's smallest home, later confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records. Had he not embarked on this mission, the home could have faced demolition. Instead, Robert turned it into the tourist attraction it is today.
Visitors can tour the home for £1.50 for adults, while children under 16 can look around for £1. The house has drawn plenty of attention over the years. On TripAdvisor, a visitor named Familia Viajera described it as an 'incredible place with a lot of history,' adding: 'This small house is a true symbol of old Conwy. It is impossible to pass by without stopping to imagine how people lived here many centuries ago.'
Quirks and visitor reactions
Another visitor, with the handle @824emmak, described the home as 'cute and nostalgic,' reminiscing about childhood visits she wanted to recreate with her own family. Because the home is so tiny, visits are short. Caroline Mellor spent 'only a few minutes' inside and found it 'unbelievable that two people actually lived there.'
Visitors have also wondered where the facilities are, as the home lacks a bathroom or even a small loo. During the period when the house was inhabited, it was common for toilets to be outside, while a portable metal tin filled with hot water served as a bath.
For comparison, the world's smallest tiny home measures just 19.46 square feet. Built by Levi Kelly in a bid to win a Guinness World Record, it is fitted with a bed, kitchen, hot water, a toilet, a shower, and air conditioning. The International Residential Code defines a tiny home as no bigger than 400 square feet. Meanwhile, the 'thinnest house' in the world, Keret House in Warsaw, Poland, is just 92 centimetres wide at its tightest point.
