Shaw's Corner

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Shaw's Corner was the primary residence of the famed playwright George Bernard Shaw; now a historic National Trust property open to the public. Inside the house, the rooms remain much as Shaw left them, and the garden and Shaw's writing hut can also be visited. The home is an Edwardian Arts and Crafts-influenced structure situated in the small village of Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, England.

Built as the new rectory for the village in 1902, the house was the home of playwright George Bernard Shaw from 1906 until his death in 1950. The Church of England decided that the house was too large for the size of the parish, and decided to let instead. Shaw and his wife Charlotte moved in during 1906, and eventually bought the house and its land in 1920, paying £6,220. At the same time the garden was extended in 1920, when Shaw bought land from his friend Apsley Cherry-Garrard, and now totals 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).

Shaw is known to have written many of his major works in a secluded, home-built revolving hut located at the bottom of his garden.^{[1] [2]} The tiny structure, which was only 64 square feet, was built on a central steel-pole frame with a circular track so that it could be rotated on its axis to follow the changing arc of the sun's light throughout the day.^[1] Shaw dubbed the hut "London", so that unwanted visitors could be told he was away "visiting the capital".^[3]

[edit] Gallery

Shaw's Corner from the garden

Shaw's writing hut

Shaw's study

Another view of Shaw's study

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Walker, Lester (2000). A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses. ISBN 1-57912-151-9. 
2. ^ The National Trust
3. ^ BBC

[edit] External links

• Shaw's Corner information at National Trust

Coordinates: 51°50′04″N 0°16′02″W / 51.83434, -0.26709