 Cliff Cottage, Tresco. Built by John [Paddy] Rice. The same Paddy that built Paddy's Island! |
This is the story my Grandfather used to tell (he was Paddy's
Grandson). John [Paddy] Rice was an Irish stonemason, although, after he arrived on Tresco, he seemed to spend most of his working life as a labourer. He was the foreman of the working gang and one day they were all complaining about the poor wages and decided that instead of reporting to the field the next day they would all turn up at the Manager's office and ask for a wage rise, going out on strike to support their claim. So, Paddy duly turned up and when the Manager asked him why he was there instead of working in the field he replied "Me and the men are going out on strike for more pay Sir". The Manager then informed him that all the men were working in the field and he gave Paddy the sack! So Paddy had some spare time on his hands and decided to build Cliff Cottage. Luckily he was much better at building than organising a strike. |