The house that was never completed

This eccentric and intriguing house is located in one of the most scenic areas of Northern Ireland. It was the creation of Newton Penprase who named it ‘Bendhu’ after the nearby headland. Penprase originated in Cornwall and came to study and teach at the Belfast College of Art. He started building the house by hand in 1936 and it wasn’t completed until 1952. The locals called it ‘the house that was never completed’ and it became the subject of continuous objections and controls. This expression of free thinking is now listed by the same objectors as part of our architectural history and includes sunken rooms, parapets, animal sculptures, cubes, squares, port holes, and cliff stairs. This is a real gem.