The Swallowed Anchor 2

A couple of years ago I posted a photo of this quaint house opposite the West Bay Marina. I took another photo of it yesterday when I was going for breakfast at the Queen Mary Restaurant at the Marina. The house is looking rather more decrepit now and anyone who wants to see it should make a visit to the West Bay Marina soon. It is slated for demolition. HERE is a good article about the history and future of this unusual old house. The name of the house, The Swallowed Anchor, is nautical lingo. To "swallow the anchor" means to retire from a life of sailing.

The Swallowed Anchor

For those of you who are thinking I am going "overboard" on houses, I say, "Avast there, maties!" because the house above, if you look closely, has a distinct nautical flavor. (And I've left out the one-legged pirate on the roof, standing near the stork's nest.) And while it is a house, it provides a cunning segue into the coming week's naval offerings as Victoria hosts the Tall Ships.

This little jewel of a house, "The Swallowed Anchor," is to be found in Esquimalt across the road from the West Bay Marina. And for those of you who might be wondering, it is an actual house, not a part of some theme park. Rumor has it that it was formerly the home of a retired sea captain who willed it to his heirs with the proviso that nothing could be changed.