Clingstone: Rhode Island’s Picture-Perfect “House on a Rock”
Written by Lynn DeRocco
Rhode Island, unlike Manhattan, is not an island. Unless you’re Henry Wood, owner of this remarkable home in Narragansett Bay.
Heart-achingly romantic with unparalleled picture-window views, Clingstone is 10,000 square feet of beautifully designed space, inside and out. It takes a lot of work and a humble spirit to make a 23-room house with 10 bedrooms and five bathrooms so unassuming, and yet so lovely. Wood collected much of the furnishings and hardware as cast-offs. As a former architect educated at the Harvard School of Design, he sees the value of items that might otherwise be thrown out. His unpretentious sensibility, along with roses and ivy, give Clingstone (known by locals as “The House on the Rock”) the feel of an English cottage rather than a manse.
A further testament to Wood’s ability to spot potential where others might miss it is the fact that he paid $3,600 for Clingstone in 1961, less than half of this year’s property taxes!
Wood uses the property mostly on weekends in the warmer months. At other times, his extended family enjoys it, and there are occasional renters as well. They take pleasure in boat- and people-watching, as well as pulling up their lobster-trap dinners for meals with a view.
The house, which utilizes a windmill for electricity, composting toilets and solar panels, is more than 100 years old and was built by Joseph Lovering Wharton, a distant cousin of Wood’s. There’s a lot of love for this place among friends and family, who contribute to its maintenance annually on “Work Day,” when sometimes 100 people will show up to share their abilities. It’s all in keeping with the eco-holistic character of Clingstone and, it seems, Wood himself.
Clingstone in the early 1900s
Photo Credits: Boston.com
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