Sir Thomas Tresham was a little obsessed. Obsessed with the number 3 and its symbolism in his Catholic faith. He built an incredible folly near Rushton, England, that makes one marvel at the powers of OCD.
It’s not just that it has 3 sides. It also has 3 floors. Each of those 3 floors has 3 rooms. The windows in each room have 3 sides, or multiples of 3 sides. I want to believe that at some point he had 3 dogs and a door knocker that automatically knocked 3 times.
Despite being over 400 years old, the house still stands and you can even tour it (most of the year, anyway). So of course I did. If you were nearby, wouldn’t you? Maybe not. But I did because I love weird things like this. Here are a bunch of pictures and a video of the Rushton Triangular Lodge.
Thinking about a big trip? Check out 10 Tips For The Beginner Traveler, 10 Things To Bring On Every International Flight (And 3 Things Not To), Google Trips: A Fantastic (And Free) Travel App You Should Download Now, and Why You Should Always Pack Light.
When you approach the house, it plays tricks on the eye. The edges are too sharp, the walls angle away from you a bit too much.
Facing any one façade straight on it looks normal, almost, save a lot of ornamentation on the walls (either literally the number 3, divisible by 3, sayings with 33 letters, etc).
It’s not until you go inside that you see the extent of Tresham’s madness/genius.
This delightful triangular building was designed by Sir Thomas Tresham (father of one of the Gunpowder Plotters) and constructed between 1593 and 1597. It is a testament to Tresham’s Roman Catholicism: the number three, symbolising the Holy Trinity, is apparent everywhere. There are three floors, trefoil windows and three triangular gables on each side.On the entrance front is the inscription ‘Tres Testimonium Dant’ (‘there are three that give witness’), a Biblical quotation from St John’s Gospel referring to the Trinity. It is also a pun on Tresham’s name; his wife called him ‘Good Tres’ in her letters." --English Heritage.org.uk
The windows all have some relation to three...
...or multiples of three.
Each floor has one main room and two smaller rooms.
The smaller rooms are triangles, the main rooms a hexagon.
Floors 2 (the main floor), and 3 (bedroom, probably), are actually quite pleasant.
They’re well lit, and you don’t really notice the odd angles. The basement, however, is just dark enough to feel like a set from a horror movie.
Doors reveal almost-closets that seem wrong. Spaces that seem too small to do anything useful. So in all, the Triangular Lodge is cool, but a bit creepy.
It’s worth visiting just to see what one person’s obsession can do, if they have time and money enough to indulge them.
The Rushton Triangular Lodge is open April through November and is £3.80 (or was, when I visited).
