Ramkin Residence

The ancestral home of the aristocratic Ramkin family occupies a good length of Scoone Avenue near King's Way on the monied slope of Ankh.

When Sam Vimes first saw the estate, the gardens were overgrown, vines covering the statues of past Ramkins. Lady Sybil lived in three rooms of the vast mansion, in an ascetic manner that outraged Nobby Nobbs (rich people have no right to live like poor people). Since becoming the seat of the Duke of Ankh and Commander of the City Watch, the old place has been spruced up and aired out, and more staff hired. (There's the dignity of the title, and entertaining, and a baby, of course.) When he moved in, Sir Samuel began an array of booby traps around the house to guard against Assassins. The Assassins will no longer entertain any contract on His Grace, but students may be unable to resist the challenge of creeping "Old Stoneface's" house for a virtual attack. They always regret this bravado.

The estate has a large group of dragon pens behind the house, built with very thick walls, but a flimsy, umbrella-like roof. This style is popular for explosives factories as well. At one point (Thud!) Lady Sybil had 26 dragons in the pens. Spare capacity in the dragon pens and elsewhere in the grounds was used to house the animal population of the College of Heralds, following an inexplicable outbreak of fire there. It is not known if any of the menagerie is still there at the Ramkin household, but Roderick the hippopotamus and his close friend of the same species really appreciated the freedom of the ornamental lake. Given Vimes' penchant for making the house and grounds Assassin-proof, and knowing the territorial imperative for a hippo defending its wallowing hole is a strong one, and that an angry hippo can bite a man in half.... bets, anyone?