Spade House
Spade House was the home of the science fiction writer H. G. Wells from 1901 to 1909. It is a large mansion overlooking Sandgate, near Folkestone, in southeast England.
History
It was designed by C.F.A. Voysey. Voysey had a signature heart shape on the door of every home, but Wells did not want a heart shape, so a heart shape was replaced by a spade shape. Wells and his wife's two sons were born here. While living at Spade House he wrote books such as Kipps, Tono-Bungay and Ann Veronica.
The house was Grade 2* listed on 11 March 1975 as part of a group of houses (including Endcliffe House, St Paul's Vicarage, Sea Lady House, East Cliff House and Vicarage Cottage, all on Radnor Cliff Crescent).[1] and is now occupied by the "Wells House" nursing home.[2] At the entrance is an ornate nameplate and a blue plaque from the Sandgate Society, commemorating the link to Wells.
External links
- Spade House on the Sandgate website
- Complete H. G. Wells texts at Gutenberg
- Boerst, William J, World Writers; Time Machine, The Story of H.G. Wells, 2000
References
Coordinates: 51°4′29″N 1°9′8.5″E / 51.07472°N 1.152361°E