Wonkee

Wonkee Donkee aims to provide readers with information and advice on all aspects of DIY, both indoors and out.

Before starting on your stairs, or any other task, it is essential that you know exactly what tools you need and how to use them.

The Crooked House, Dudley

Originally built as a farmhouse in 1765, The Crooked House, later became a public house called The Glynne Arms.

After mining subsidence in the 19th century caused one side of the building to sink 1.2m lower than the other, the pub was renamed The Siden House ('siden' meaning 'crooked' in the local Black Country dialect).

Nowadays, it is known as The Crooked House.

The slanted walls of the pub, combined with its level floors, create an eerie illusionary sensation for patrons.

The wonky nature of the building gives the impression of a number of optical illusions.

Glasses can be seen defying the laws of gravity, as they slide across tables, while marbles appear to be rolling uphill along the length of the bar!

The Tower of Suurhusen

The Tower of Suurhusen in East Frisia, Germany, is the world's most unintentionally tilted tower.

Over the centuries, the late Medieval steeple has gradually leant to one side as a result of its oak foundations and the wet soil it is built upon.

In 2007, the church was awarded the Guinness World Record for the 'farthest leaning tower' after its pastor wrote to Guinness and made a case for the bell tower. 

Suurhusen, which is 25 metres high, currently leans at an angle of 5.193 degrees.

Amsterdam

The Dutch city of Amsterdam is characterised by the higgledy-piggledy houses that run along its famous canals.

The city's high water-table and resulting soft soil has meant that many houses, particularly within the older parts of Amsterdam, have problems with verticality.

Most homes rest on stilts which have rotted or sunk into the soft mud, causing the buildings to lean sideways, into one another.

The fronts of almost all old houses in Amsterdam, and in other Dutch towns, lean forwards. Houses in the city are very tall and narrow as a result of the high-cost of land in the city.

The staircases in these houses are very steep and often winding, making it difficult to manoeuvre bulky items up to the higher floors.

To resolve this problem, the gables of houses are adorned with a hook to enable residents to pull large pieces of furniture up and through the windows.

Houses in Amsterdam tilt forwards to prevent hanging furniture from hitting their facades.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa 

Its dramatic tilt to one side has made the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa the world's most infamous wonky building.

The soft soils upon which it was built, along with its weak foundations, caused the tower to lean at an angle of 5.5 degrees.

However, years of restoration work at the end of the 20th century managed to correct the tilt slightly.

Pisa now slants by about 3.99 degrees, with the top of the tower displaced by almost 3.9 metres from the bottom.

Market Cross House, Windsor 

Market Cross House in Windsor was built in 1592. However, it didnt become wonky until 1718 after it was restructured with unseasoned green oak.

The house has a now-blocked secret passageway leading to Windsor Castle which is said to have been used for trysts between Charles II and his mistress.

Market Cross House was originally a butcher's shop, but has been a jewellers, brewery, antiques shop and gift shop. Nowadays, the building functions as a tea room for patrons who don't mind sitting at a bit of an angle.