Gideon Mantell's House

[poliphilo]

This is Gideon Mantell's house in Lewes.



At one time it housed the greatest dinosaur museum in Britain- possibly in Europe. Mantell was one of the fathers of palaeontology and- most famously- the man who discovered and named the iguanadon. If we had our values straight we'd take Nelson down off his column and put Mantell in his place.

The house has capitals in the shape of ammonites. I'd like to believe Mantell commissioned them but understand it was a fashion of the time and the house was already standing in its present form when Mantell bought it. Mind you, I walked all the way up and down Lewes High Street and Mantell's is the only house that has them...

Comments

[cmcmck]

That's a handsome piece of Georgian!

[poliphilo]

One of the grandest houses in Lewes.

Mantell couldn't really afford it.

[athenais]

Now that is superb! If I had pilasters or columns on my house I'd have 'em in the shape of ammonites!

[poliphilo]

Right on!

[oakmouse]

I saw that gorgeous house when we were in Lewes visiting friends in 2003! The ammonites are splendid; I took a picture of one of them and still have it in my box of photos from the trip.

[poliphilo]

Were you drawn to it because it was Mantell's House or simply because it's so handsome?

[oakmouse]

Because it's gorgeous. I didn't know who Mantell was at the time; if I had I'd have liked it even more.