The Tea House
This is the main building of the Transcendental Castle - affectionately termed The Tea House from both the initial T taken from its Transcendentality and a reference to the largely favoured beverage readily served here.
This is where the majority of The Mad Wirral Bohemians live.
The original building was built in the mid nineteenth century by visionary architect and resourceful inventor Professor Butler Gasquoine - a Master of Many Marvellous Victorian Virtues and Academically Acclaimed Adventurous Vigour. He and his incredible family of enlightened souls still pop back for frequent frolics with the current incumbents of their much loved property.
Behind the main door of The Tea House lies the Transcendental Stairway, a usually deceptively modest looking hallway with basic communal storage area and unremarkable staircase - but this has been known, on special occasions, to transform into a much larger, more ornate version with crystal chandeliers and wide curved stairway. This often depends on the mood of the building - when welcoming special new guests it puts on its own airs and graces !
Generally to the left of the stairway are the Common Rooms, Communal Kitchen and Special Operations Room.
The Common Rooms are large meeting areas; one with spacious seating arrangements of various sofas and tables around a large coal fireplace, filled with bookshelves and study spaces; the other a large dining room next to the kitchen.
The Special Operations Room is a smaller, rounded turret room situated at the base of the Normanston Watch Tower. This is where the major business of communications and information gathering is undertaken. The Tea House's main-line defences are also controlled from here.
The Transcendental Stairway runs up the middle of the house and is the least stable structure of the building. Its appearance changes frequently and is always twisting and writhing slowly about as it tries to hold onto its links to the other worlds and realities that lie behind its doors. These are the ‘rooms’ belonging to each of the residents of this wild place and there is no limit to how many rooms up the infinite stairway there can be. It will, however, settle itself into a ‘most used’ arrangement, depending on the requirements of the residents, so things are rarely more than a few doors away - and short cuts are available !
Curiously, just as there is a distinct starting point for this infinite stairwell, there is also a distinct top floor where both Sparky and Evil Mark have their attic rooms. As such, infinity manages to fit somewhere inbetween !
Also on the top floor is a ladder leading to a hatch, sometimes this is just out to the roof - but not always - other places have been known to arrive up there !
At times the Transcendental Stairway can become disconnected from the front door- either deliberately, as in the event of an emergency, from the controls of the Special Operations Room, or by some fluctuation in Transcendental Perspective - leaving the house with its ordinary, original staircase and interior while it latches onto another opening somewhere nearby in the grounds, usually in one of the tunnels beneath the gardens.
Sparky’s Room
This is where it all began, many years ago, when this property of Transcendental Interior Decoration was just starting off in an ordinary semi detached house in the small, north-west coastal town of New Brighton, England - where Sparky grew up with his sister and parents.
From quite a young age Sparky longed to be able to redecorate his own room, not just with wallpaper and carpet, but with trees, grass and flowers. He wanted to turn it into a picturesque woodland of friendly animals, sunshine and birdsong - as impossible as it seemed he knew in his heart he could make it happen with enough determination of vision.
Starting with a woodland mural on the wall and green grass-like carpet on the ground, sprinkled with leaves and branches from outdoors, friendly soft toy animals, great music - and tea - he combined his imagination and creativity with a developing awareness for parallel sensitivity in a dance and saw the whole creation burst into life before him.
It was a bedroom in a real wooded glade, still with its bed, wardrobe, cupboards and other items and the door now standing out at the edge without its wall. Stepping through it to check he was still at home he noticed something strange had happened to the stairway. It was waving and warping ever so slightly, but most noticeably, around the door to the new room as if trying to stay connected to it.
He then concentrated his efforts on the bathroom which he felt would benefit from being a bit bigger and more like a forest glade with a lake and spectacular waterfall. The stairway between the two rooms likewise expanded upon its new transcendental nature to keep in tune with the modifications.
When it came to finding a new home of his own Sparky found he was able to transport the new interiors with him to a whole new house at the turn of a dial on his modified, antique globe drinks cabinet fitted with fibre optic links to a transcendental transistor radio.
He chose a derelict old house, of which there were plenty in the winding tree-lined suburbs of Oxton-On-The-Wold. He invited many of his friends to join him there and they christened the house The Tea House, frequently moving from building to building as property developers moved in to turn each of the grand old empty houses into flats.
The latest building with its castellated walls has been the most permanent version to date and the most ideal location for the Mad Wirral Bohemians to take up arms against any selfishness and stupidity that threatens the peace and harmony of the world.
Sparky’s Room
This is where it all began, many years ago, when this property of Transcendental Interior Decoration was just starting off in an ordinary semi detached house in the small, north-west coastal town of New Brighton, England - where Sparky grew up with his sister and parents.
From quite a young age Sparky longed to be able to redecorate his own room, not just with wallpaper and carpet, but with trees, grass and flowers. He wanted to turn it into a picturesque woodland of friendly animals, sunshine and birdsong - as impossible as it seemed he knew in his heart he could make it happen with enough determination of vision.
Starting with a woodland mural on the wall and green grass-like carpet on the ground, sprinkled with leaves and branches from outdoors, friendly soft toy animals, great music - and tea - he combined his imagination and creativity with a developing awareness for parallel sensitivity in a dance and saw the whole creation burst into life before him.
It was a bedroom in a real wooded glade, still with its bed, wardrobe, cupboards and other items and the door now standing out at the edge without its wall. Stepping through it to check he was still at home he noticed something strange had happened to the stairway. It was waving and warping ever so slightly, but most noticeably, around the door to the new room as if trying to stay connected to it.
He then concentrated his efforts on the bathroom which he felt would benefit from being a bit bigger and more like a forest glade with a lake and spectacular waterfall. The stairway between the two rooms likewise expanded upon its new transcendental nature to keep in tune with the modifications.
When it came to finding a new home of his own Sparky found he was able to transport the new interiors with him to a whole new house at the turn of a dial on his modified, antique globe drinks cabinet fitted with fibre optic links to a transcendental transistor radio.
He chose a derelict old house, of which there were plenty in the winding tree-lined suburbs of Oxton-On-The-Wold. He invited many of his friends to join him there and they christened the house The Tea House, frequently moving from building to building as property developers moved in to turn each of the grand old empty houses into flats.
The latest building with its castellated walls has been the most permanent version to date and the most ideal location for the Mad Wirral Bohemians to take up arms against any selfishness and stupidity that threatens the peace and harmony of the world.
Evil Mark’s Room
Few people have seen behind the door of Evil Mark’s attic room which stands immediately opposite Sparky’s own room on the very top floor. Many have heard a weird variety of noises emanating from within but seldom know if it is him making the din or the room itself. All that has been glimpsed is a pitch black gloom, vaguely visible dusty floorboards and some bits of wood with bite marks in !
Lucy Langford’s Room
When Lucy returned to this world from the dying world of Purple Urth, with April, Star and Byke, she made herself a room that was a direct link to the remaining faerie kingdom they had helped to save just moments before the rest was destroyed. Lucy is most at home here amidst the beautiful, serene landscapes and the people of this tranquil paradise.
April’s Room
Upon her arrival to The Tea House April made her room a link back to the alternate 1600’s England of her parents, a land of fantastic castles, ornate tent dwelling communities, wizards, gypsy travellers, unicorns and majestic dragons.
Rusty’s Room
Frequently popping back from his many doggy adventures for dinner and a nap, before haring off again for more, Rusty’s room has become a veritable treasure kennel of prestigiously awarded trophies, medals, certificates of honour, recently rediscovered old maps and ancient artefacts - and one modest little basket with a big comfy cushion and a large bone.
Oscar Algernon Snowman’s Room
Although Oscar usually prefers the outdoors he often appreciates moments of quiet repose alone to the sound of the rich tocking tone of the grandfather clock in his study room, a fine collection of Classical music, a soothing draw of his pipe and a steady study of the many literary tomes he has acquired over the years.
Dan and Denise’s Room
When Dan and Denise arrived they took the ground floor room to the right of the hall at the foot of the stairway, opposite the Common Rooms. This was initially to enable them easy access to the car park at the back for their many vehicles and inventions, but before long they were making use of the cottage opposite for this purpose too.
Their Tea House room was generated as a complete recreation of all the familiar comforts they had been accustomed to at their Top Secret Headquarters on Bidston Hill before it was destroyed in the first Mekadrone Invasion of Earth. This was to try and help ease them back as gently as possible on their quirky return to reality from their previous difficult condition !
Incorporated into this new version of their old headquarters is a link to their original homeworld of Riah Ten, where they nip back from time to time to see their families and shop for special equipment.