in the distance.
When Harlaxton Manor was built in the 1830s it included an attached carriage house where the horses and carriages were kept. The Manor's owner, Gregory Gregory, soon decided he needed more space for this purpose and a larger carriage house was built about 150 yards from the Manor. This second carriage house has been turned into housing for students and two faculty apartments. We live in a flat called Gregory Cottage in the Carriage House.
The Carriage House from the front.
Our flat has a large entry way big enough for kicking around a soccer ball. It leads into all the rooms: 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bath. 
What we like about the Carriage House
Joe: I like sharing a bedroom with Tom. I like being near the Sports Hall. I can run over there and shoot baskets or kick the soccer ball and it's only a minute from our house. We are close to the soccer pitch. We have woods behind us for nice scenery.
Tom: I like having a computer in our living
room. I like reading by the heater at
night.
Steph: At first I was disappointed to be in the Carriage House. It is rather plain compared to the ornate faculty rooms in the Manor. But once the weather got chilly I became practical. Old stone buildings get very cold. We have a never-ending supply of extremely hot water and a bathtub: perfect for chilly nights and chilly mornings. And our rooms have their own thermostat with radiators that get too hot to touch. The faculty in the Manor are envious - their rooms are drafty and cold and many of them share bathrooms.
The Few Problems We've Encountered
1. The hot water is too hot. With separate faucets for the hot and cold, the hot quickly becomes so hot that you don't dare put your hands under it.
2. I can't figure out the oven. In addition to the temperature knob, there is a second knob and a series of buttons with strange symbols for controlling the oven. I don't understand how they work together and I can't find any explanation for the symbols. I just push randomly until the oven begins to heat. I've burned one pizza and melted cheese over tortilla chips for the boys' snacks a few times. The stove top I can use and we've also got a microwave so with these I'm able to make a few hot lunches a week to bring to the boys at school.
3. The ceilings are too high. This is a problem because we have lots of spiders in our flat that like to hang out on the ceiling. I don't worry about the daddy-long-legs, but when we get a big, black spider I've got to get it down. I have to throw balled-up socks at it until it falls to the floor, then I catch it and throw it out the door. Despite my encounter with the spider in Warwick, I can't bring myself to kill them.
