Some places are abandoned. This one feels unheard.

There are some places you plan to visit. Then there are the ones you simply stumble across.

We were on our way back from another location when, through the trees, we spotted something that made us stop, chimney stacks rising above the trees. We went straight into reverse!

What we found hidden behind the woodland was a substantial old mansion, its history stretching back centuries and its present-day appearance almost completely concealed by nature.

The building has been altered over time, with much of the house as we see it today shaped during the nineteenth century. It still carries the character of a large country residence, but once inside, the layout becomes much more interesting.

There are hidden doors and concealed passages throughout the interior, some blending almost completely into the walls and panelling. These would once have allowed servants to move around the house discreetly, away from the main family rooms.

At the centre of the building is one of its most striking surviving features a galleried stairwell beneath a roof lantern, designed to draw natural light down through the heart of the house. I was blown away by this feature, I stood back and took it all in, I was in awe!

Then there was the library. Among the remains of the room sat something we certainly weren’t expecting to find an Ouija board. There is no way of knowing how long it had been there or who left it behind, but in an empty house filled with concealed doors and shadowed corridors, it certainly added to the atmosphere. 😱🤭

But perhaps the most intriguing part of the story lies beyond the objects left behind. The families connected with this house have a long history. Among them is the story of a young boy, remembered through an old epitaph one of those small fragments of history that can say much more about a life than a long written account ever could. I’m deliberately leaving out names, locations and identifying details. Some places deserve a little mystery, especially when they are vulnerable.

Outside, beneath the trees and amongst the undergrowth, we also came across animal bones scattered on the ground.

Sometimes the most memorable places are the ones you weren’t looking for at all.

Some houses hold history. This one hides it.

👇 I sell prints 👇

Here

👇 I organise events & talks on abandonment 👇

Here