The courtyard was - right up to the 1950s - occupied by stables, a chicken coop and water for washing and drinking.
The new owners had converted a former chicken coop with a small cupola and weathervane into a house.
Cabin boys were at the lowest end of the naval hierarchy, and were given menial tasks such as clearing pigsties and hen coops.
They had to remain here until 10.30 pm, cooped up in a small room upstairs.
A bigger problem is smaller businesses that have long since flown the coop leaving behind problems for others to clean up at their own expense.
Take a large aircraft carrier, with 2,000 men cooped up in a small area.
We were cooped up in a small area, unable to do anything, a feeling that does nothing to help.
Our two-year-old is much more manageable on a train than she would be if cooped up in a plane for two hours.