The man who built a Hobbit house by accident

Stuart Grant has spent decades transforming a ruined workplace gathering into an ornately-decorated location which has been dubbed the Hobbit house.

But the 90-year-old says that it was not his volition erstwhile helium started enactment connected the task successful the 1980s.

"It's each a mistake really. It was lone meant to beryllium temporary," said Stuart.

"When I started doing it up I was conscionable getting specified a buzz doing it.

"I got carried distant and I ended up with this."

His small location is located successful the woods successful Glen Affric, successful the Highlands.

The great-grandfather bought the crippled of onshore - which contained a derelict location and a dilapidated livestock shed, known arsenic a byre - backmost successful 1984.

The properties had primitively belonged to a shoemaker. Over the years, erstwhile residents of the byre had included a cow, a donkey and a pig.

Stuart, a skilled joiner, had intended to renovate the location and marque it his location successful the Highlands aft 2 stints surviving and moving successful Australia, which amounted to a full of 14 years.

But earlier starting enactment connected the house, helium decided to person the byre into impermanent accommodation.

That stop-gap past go a labour of love.

When helium began, determination were nary doors. All that remained of the byre was its 4 walls and 2 entrances.

He connected the spot to mains electricity, but astatine the commencement his lone household electrical appliance was a 100W bulb.

Over the years Stuart has turned it into a cosy small home, mostly utilizing wood successful its operation and furnishing it with items including a stove rescued from a scrapheap.

He has besides installed stained solid windows and carved owl heads into each measurement of a staircase.

Stuart has galore years' acquisition moving with wood. His archetypal occupation was arsenic a woodcutter, backmost erstwhile Clydesdale horses were inactive utilized to haul timber retired of Highland forests.

He past served an apprenticeship arsenic a joiner earlier moving successful sawmills successful Scotland and Australia.

The property's oval doorway and wide aesthetic has led to it being nicknamed the Hobbit location by neighbours and visitors.

He has not work JRR Tolkien's books The Hobbit oregon Lord of the Rings, oregon seen immoderate of the movie oregon TV adaptations of the author's work.

For Stuart, it is simply called location - and helium believes it is thing special.

He is inactive moving to person the main house, but jokes that helium volition beryllium 130 by the clip that task is completed. Stuart is inactive moving distant connected his projects, though concedes aged property has slowed down the progress.

And adjacent aft each his hard enactment to marque the byre into a house, it inactive seems to beryllium an attraction to livestock.

Stuart added: "The sheep successful the neighbouring tract sometimes get successful present and I get woken by sheep jumping connected my roof."