The house that time forgot: Abandoned home known as Red Dress Manor filled with black-and-white photos, intimate love letters and an eerie bridesmaid frock goes on sale for £700,000 after lying empty for more than 40 years
- Derelict dairy farm in Llanymynech, Powys, mid-Wales built in 1725, has stood empty for more than 40 years
- Officially called Calcott Hall, the grade-II listed building has been dubbed the ‘Red Dress Manor’ by locals
- The owner, identified as Ellen Jones, died in the 1970s, leaving her red dress hanging in an empty wardrobe
- Original frock has since been taken but a lookalike version was mysteriously placed there some years ago
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An abandoned former dairy farm that is packed to the rafters with black-and-white photographs, intimate love letters and decaying clothes and furnishings, has gone on the market for £700,000.
Appearing to be frozen in time after lying empty for more than 40 years, the 2.3 acre Calcott Hall estate, standing in the depths of the Welsh countryside in Llanymynech, Powys, is filed to the brim with personal belongings – including a floor-length red satin frock.
Dubbed the Red Dress Manor by locals, the eerie building has kept its nickname despite the original gown no longer resting in the wardrobe – instead, another lookalike version was mysteriously placed there some years ago.
The six-bedroom house was grade II* listed in 1953 – more than two centuries after it was first built as a dairy farm – and is in need of a complete renovation.
According to census records, the last owner, Ellen Jones, died in the early 1970s and her home became a forgotten relic in its leafy surroundings – but her belongings are thought to have stayed exactly as she left them.
An abandoned former dairy farm that is packed to the rafters with black-and-white photographs, intimate love letters and decaying clothes (pictured) and furnishings, has gone on the market for £700,000
Appearing to be frozen in time after lying empty for more than 40 years, the 2.3 acre Calcott Hall estate, standing in the depths of the Welsh countryside in Llanymynech, Powys , is filed to the brim with personal belongings (pictured) – including a floor-length red satin frock
Dubbed the Red Dress Manor (pictured) by locals, the eerie building has kept its nickname despite the original gown no longer resting in the wardrobe – instead, another lookalike version was mysteriously placed there some years ago
Now the mansion has been put up for sale with Roger Parry and Partners for just £700,000, and is currently within the planning process to renovate the hall and convert the traditional barns to up to 7 residential units, reported Wales Online.
Unfortunately, the property has been battered by vandals and extreme weather so the home is too dangerous to explore inside – with multiple holes in the roof and collapsing floors all the way down to the cellar.
But haunting images taken of the manor showcase the original furnishings kept inside – including dust-covered glass bottles of 20th century cleaning products such as turpentine and black lacquer.
Floral 1950s wallpaper tumbling down the walls reveal the heavy stone that was used to build the house in 1725, while sheets remain on the main bed.
The six-bedroom house was grade II* listed in 1953 – more than two centuries after it was first built as a dairy farm – and is in need of a complete renovation. Pictured is one of the bedrooms in the property
According to census records, the last owner, Ellen Jones, died in the early 1970s and her home became a forgotten relic in its leafy surroundings – but her belongings (pictured in the living room) are thought to have stayed exactly as she left them
Namesake: The woman in the red dress that has given the manor its nickname. The picture shows Ellen Jones, who appears in other images around the house. This photograph has since been taken from the property
Love letters and messages from friends cover the floor, while black-and-white photographs rest under a film of cobwebs.
In the kitchen, there are drawers filled with rusting cooking utensils, washing-up still resting in the sink, alongside an old oven and freezer.
The living room is decorated with floral armchairs and a 1930s fireplace, while a broken television and smashed frames litter the carpet.
Local legend claims Ellen died in the manor, with the property having been visited by investigating paranormal groups in the past.