PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

Buildings with less than perfect angles, or "sloightly on the huh", have a charm all of their own. Claire Saul shares some wonky favourites

- Claire Saul

From palaces to pitches and castles to crofts, Britain is blessed with a rich choice of historic houses and sites to visit. Those life-worn buildings bearing the evidence of their years can be especially endearing, engaging us with their own particular style of charm and talking point.

The wonky angles of Little Moreton Hall (01260 272018, nationaltrust.org.uk/little-moreton-hall) at Congleton, Cheshire help to make this Tudor manor house unforgettable. Marshy ground was long considered to be the culprit for the extensive settlement that has occurred over the centuries but the later addition of the manor's stunning 21m Long Gallery has now been identified as the main cause. This room is narrower than the chambers underneath and is not directly supported by their frames.

This, coupled with the very heavy gritstone slabs on the gallery roof - a total weight estimated at 32 tonnes - and natural movement in the building has resulted in the roof trusses being forced down and destabilised, and the walls slowly pushed apart over time. Centuries of structural repair and conservation means we can still enjoy this magnificent building and its unusual angles, such as those in the Gallery Chamber. Despite appearances, it is the finely decorated overmantel here that is actually level.

Heavy tiles are also to blame for the undulations in the roof of Tintagel Post Office (01840 770024, nationaltrust.org.uk/tintagel-old-post-office) in Cornwall, originally a medieval farmhouse, where locally quarried rag slates eventually replaced its thatch.

Timber dwellings allow plenty of scope for shape-shifting and Britain abounds with perfectly imperfect examples, such as the charming gatehouse at Stokesay Castle (0370 333 1181, english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stokesay-castle) in Shropshire and Augustine Steward House in Norwich, Norfolk.