EVEN the most ambitious estate agent would struggle to describe teacher Julia Wood's home as anything more than "compact".

Her cosy home in the heart of Brighton measures just a mere six feet across, making it one of the narrowest houses in the country.

With her arms outstretched Julia, 35, can reach from one side of her house to the other.

The diminutive des res in Hollingdean Road was originally a shed used to store a donkey cart, with a hay loft above.

Ayear ago it was an empty shell, now it has been converted into a comfortable three-storey home with all mod cons - even if it is a bit of a squeeze.

Julia loves her offbeat house, which she moved into last month.

She said: "I love it because it is so unusual. I have never seen anything like it before. I wouldn't swap it, it's excellent."

The building measures 21ft from front to back, with a small garden at the rear.

The front door opens on to an entrance hall, kitchen and shower room on the ground floor, the main living area is on the first floor, and Julia's bed is tucked away under the eaves on the second floor, reached by a ladder.

Blink and you could miss the house from the outside, but clever planning means inside it feels roomier than you would expect.

The original stone walls of the donkey cart lodge have been painted white, a balcony opens out on to the street and the ladder to the loft bedroom is on a pulley system so that it can be tucked away.

The doll's house-like dimensions mean everything is within arms' reach. For Julia, who shares the house with her cat Pongo, the main challenge has been learning to keep neat and tidy.

She said: "The fact the house is so narrow doesn't bother me at all, it is more spacious than some flats I looked at.

"I store my books and clothes on bookshelves and I sit on cushions to watch TV. I didn't feel there was any point in getting a settee, it would take up too much space.

"I'm not a naturally tidy person, but it has made me become tidy because it is so noticeable if you leave something out."

She added: "Friends are always fascinated to see it. I tend to have one person round at a time - it's not the sort of place for parties.

"I've had jokes about whether there is room to swing a cat - but anyone who knows Pongo wouldn't even suggest it!"

The building was used for a TV and radio repair business, but it had stood empty and derelict for eight years before being bought by Brighton couple Rachel and Iain Boyle last year.

The couple reckoned the empty shell had potential and converted it to rent.

After gaining planning permission for the unlikely transformation they enlisted local builder John Roberts.

Rachel said: "My husband and I often passed the property and thought how cute it was. It was the quirkiness of it that appealed to us.

"It cost us more to convert it than it did to buy it."

"It is small but sweet. It would not suit everyone, but for one person it is perfect.

"I love it. The appeal is owning a little bit of Brighton, it's a little bit of history."

John Hole, of Parsons Son and Basley estate agents who sold the property to the Boyles, said: "It stands out as one of the most unusual properties we have handled."

According to the Guinness Book of Records the smallest house in Britain is a fisherman's cottage at The Quay in Conwy, Wales. At 6ft, that cottage is the same width as Julia's home, but it is smaller all round, measuring only 10ft high and just over 8ft from front to back.

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