Vanbrugh's Travels

'One Storey high, one postern Door,
And one small Chamber on a Floor.'
'He saw the edifice, and smiled,
Vowed it was pretty for a child:’
'Thrice happy poet, who may trail
Thy house about thee, like a snail;
Or harnessed to a nag, at ease,
Take journeys in it like a chaise;
Or in a boat, whene'er thou wilt
Canst make it serve thee for a tilt'
Swift's fictional history for Vanbrugh's 'Goose-pie' house, (poems of 1703, 1709 and 1710).


'a wooden chamber of sixteen foot square, and twelve high, with sash windows, a door, and two closets, like a London bed-chamber...'
‘...not much bigger than what I have seen in a London toy-shop, for the furniture of a baby-house.'
'In journeys, a servant on horseback would buckle my box, and place it on a cushion before him... My box... floated about five foot deep in water... they had. seen a swimming house... he laughed at their folly.'
Swift's Fictional History for Gullivers 'Little' house, Book II, 1726.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.