Almondsey

Tiptow became the largest town in Pagota, although it started out as a simple fishing port and ferry terminus for the service to Algoland (which it still is, but no longer a fishing port -- the latter having been moved to a small hamlet along the Fangist Road). It had a strategic location, as the older nearby castles of Lickerbill and Carnswallow testify, as do the gun battery and lighthouse, but did not become prominent until the very late 18th Century when the Earl of Pagota returned from a five-year sojourn in England, having spent time in Bath, London, and Brighton. He pretty much tore the old town down and built this fine Georgian resort, including a spa, his greatest accomplishment the terrace housing (colored orange on the plan), which owes a lot to the architect Nash, but is very monotonous with its light-gray ashlar walls. "Pinktown" -- the older section within the main fortifications -- was left with the original 17th Century buildings, to house the serving classes, and 50 years later, under his grandson, who was a debauchee, was exempted from controls and became the 'red-light' district of the town during an anarchic period. (Note, however, the large tower on the west side, which is the police station and 'clink'.) As a devotee of Monte Carlo, he also built the Casino late in his long life, now the largest legal gambling palace in Estalia. His descendents, in turn, built the Victorian-style pier, with a ballroom, the theatre (rep company and small opera), and the boat marina (at the same time modernizing the ferry slip).

Other notable features are Pagota Park (1880), with its lake, woods, and other artificial landscaping -- this involved tearing down the other remaining section of the 'old town' and a considerable portion of the old market area around the temple; Wildwood Island, a large expanse enclosed by two small rivers, converted into a game preserve, and holding one of the few zoos in Estalia; and the Grandy Hotel, a high-class hostelry constructed around the same time as the casino. Suburban build-up occurred to the east and southest over a period of years. But this is basically a low-rise city, since apart from the hotel no building is more than 3 stories tall.

A plan of the Grandy Hotel, Casino, and Pier is shown below. (PS: the pier head is built on a rocky islet, like the battery/lighthouse, but this one is about 12 feet underwater, in an otherwise very deep harbor -- the pier itself is 300 feet longer than it appears on the plan.)

To view the nearby castles of Carnswallow and Lickerbill, click here