HWW from Anstruther

A house dating from 1692 located in the Scottish fishing village Anstruther, has become known for its shell decorated facade.

It is a creation made by Alex Batchelor who lived in the Victorian era. He was a slater and a plasterer, who probably in the 1840s was active in this project. The locals considered Batchelor as somewhat eccentric, not in the least since he also had made a shell decorated coffin and was willing to let people take a look at it after paying some pennies. There is a story that the show included that for an extra penny he would lay down in the coffin.

The shells decorating the wall include scallops, dog whelks, edible whelks, limpets and a few mussels. I think it requires some attention as there are some blank spaces, but considering the situation, on a sharp bend on a busy road, it is in remarkable condition.