The House with the Brickkiln
In a secluded hamlet, two friends, drawn by the promise of excellent fishing, rent an unoccupied manor house that has remained empty for years. The house, surrounded by a neglected garden and a dilapidated brickkiln, exudes an eerie atmosphere. Upon arrival, they notice the locals' peculiar interest in their tenancy, which they dismiss as mere curiosity. As they settle in, an unsettling feeling of dread permeates the air, particularly in the evenings. The friends experience strange occurrences, including a door that opens and closes on its own and the sensation of an unseen presence. They discover a series of haunting watercolors depicting the house and its surroundings, each featuring a figure resembling a man peering into the brickkiln. One evening, one of the friends sees a mysterious stranger outside, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the figure in the paintings. This encounter heightens their unease, especially when they realize the stranger seems to vanish upon approach. The following days are marked by more bizarre incidents, including the ringing of bells and the feeling of being watched. The tension escalates when one friend reports a terrifying encounter with the figure, who appears to be holding a knife. They decide to confront the source of their fear, leading to a climactic moment when they witness the figure in a dark room, seemingly committing a gruesome act. The horror culminates in the revelation that the manor was once home to a notorious murderer, who killed his wife and disposed of her remains in the very brickkiln that looms ominously nearby. Ultimately, the friends choose to leave the house, haunted by the dark history and the malevolent presence that lingers within its walls. The narrative concludes with a chilling acknowledgment of the manor's past, leaving the reader with a sense of unresolved dread and the weight of history's horrors.
By E.F. Benson · First published 1912 · Genre: Horror, Gothic Fiction, Mystery · 5,179 words
First lines
The hamlet of Trevor Major lies very lonely and sequestered in a hollow below the north side of the south downs that stretch westward from Lewes, and run parallel with the coast. It is a hamlet of some three or four dozen inconsiderable houses and cottages much girt about with trees, but the big Norman church and the manor house which stands a little outside the village are evidence of a more conspicuous past. This latter, except for a tenancy of rather less than three weeks, now four years ago, has stood unoccupied since the summer of 1896, and though it could be taken at a rent almost comically small, it is highly improbable that either of its last tenants, even if times were very bad, would think of passing a night in it again. For myself -- I was one of the tenants -- I would far prefer living in a workhouse to inhabiting those low-pitched oak-panelled rooms, and I would sooner look from my garret windows on to the squalor and grime of Whitechapel than from the diamond-shaped and leaded panes of the Manor of Trevor Major on to the boskage of its cool thickets, and the glimmering of its clear chalk-streams where the quick trout glance among the waving water-weeds and over the chalk and gravel of its sliding rapids.
What this Textopian page supports
The House with the Brickkiln is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: E.F. Benson
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Suspense
- Length: 5,179 words
- Structure: 1 section, 82 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The House with the Brickkiln by E.F. Benson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The House with the Brickkiln?
- How does this novel by E.F. Benson fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Horror first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Bus Conductor by E. F. Benson
- The Man Who Went Too Far by E. F. Benson
- Gavons Eve by E. F. Benson
- Negotium Perambulans by E. F. Benson
- Enderbys Courtship by Louis Becke
- The Cat by E. F. Benson
Genres
- Horror — The story contains supernatural elements, a sense of dread, and a malevolent presence, typical of horror literature.
- Gothic Fiction — The setting features an old manor house, themes of madness and murder, and an atmosphere of decay and mystery.
- Mystery — The narrative revolves around unexplained occurrences and the investigation of a past crime, creating a sense of intrigue.
- Literary Fiction — The writing style is reflective and descriptive, focusing on character development and thematic depth.
Tags
English Literature · Novel · Comedy · Satire · Social Commentary · Class Satire · Upper Class · British Society · Country Life · Rural England · Small Towns · Gossip