An urban explorer has captured some extraordinary footage inside a decaying Scottish mansion which was once Coco Chanel’s love nest.
The Rosehall Estate near Lairg, Scotland, was home to the legendary fashion designer in the 1920s – and famous guests to the 22-room house included her lover Hugh Grosvenor, the Second Duke of Westminster and her friend Winston Churchill.
The crumbling house, set within 700 acres of ground, was sold for an undisclosed sum earlier to an overseas family this year after previously sitting on the market for more than four years.
RE/MAX listed it with an asking price of £3 million, and the secret Highlands bolthole was set to be turned into a luxury boutique hotel but the sale fell through.
Matt (pictured) posted the footage of the decayed mansion to his YouTube channel , Finders Beepers History Seekers
An urban explorer captured Coco Chanel’s old love nest on The Rosehall Estate near Lairg, Scotland
Matt discovered lots of interesting things in the mansion including an old horse-drawnfire engine cart
The mansions was falling a part but Matt was some items and pieces of furniture have stayed in tact, including this roll top bath
The sale is now believed to have fallen through, giving urban explorer, Matt Nadin, the opportunity to sneak in and capture some incredible pictures and footage of the sprawling mansion whilst on holiday with his family.
Despite falling into a state of disrepair with walls cracking and floors crumbling, fascinating glimpses of what may of gone on at the estate still remain.
Incredible footage of Matt, 40, shows him creeping through long grass and bushes to get to the house before climbing in through an opened window.
Inside, Matt, a salesman from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, finds ornate furniture including beds, wardrobes and dressers and a roll top bath.
Huge cast iron fireplaces can be found in some rooms, along with an abandoned chaise lounge, an old Aga or Range cooker, old wine and sherry bottles and a pair of old skis.
Matt even discovered an old horse drawn fire engine cart complete with hoses.
Along with older artefacts are pieces from other decades including children’s videos and tapes as well as cuddly toys – although it’s not clear how these came to be there.
Matt posted the extraordinary footage to his You Tube channel, Finders Beepers History Seekers, where he can often be found exploring abandoned and historic places of interest with his pal, Andy.
The mansion was sold last year after sitting on the market for more than four years but the sale is believed to have fallen through
Pictured: Furniture left inside the mansion. Some work has been done on the property but there were still original pieces
He said: ‘This is somewhere I have really wanted to get into for a while.
‘I went when it was raining because I thought there was less chance of people being outside and less chance of being caught.
‘I’m not a nervous person but my nerves were kicking in. I just really wanted to get in without getting caught.
‘I would have been devastated if I had been caught after being in just one room.
‘I was also so aware of my own voice and how much it echoed in there.
‘One room had bottles of beer and sherry as well as barrels of wine inside. It was just really fascinating to think about who might have been the last person to drink out of one of those bottles.
‘The entire place was amazing and to have the opportunity to actually get in there was crazy.
‘Some of the rooms were absolutely massive. Some of the windows must have been 15 feet tall but it was riddled with damp and the walls were full of cracks.
‘It was what I expected in a lot of the rooms, with everything stripped back but some of the period features like the cast iron fireplace were just beautiful.
Pictured: an old fuel pump outside the mansion. ‘I know there isn’t loads left today but there is enough to paint a picture in your mind of what it was once like and that’s what I am passionate about,’ said Matt
Matt said one of his favourite parts about looking through the house was seeing all the period features. Pictured: A wardrobe
‘Coco Chanel came here before the war and spent a lot of time living here. These were her glory days and it’s crazy to think who might have walked into that building before me. It’s just a real shame that it’s in the state it is now.
‘It was fascinating wondering which room Coco Chanel would have slept in and the wild parties that would have gone on. The history of the place is just crazy.
‘I know I will get people saying why have you come here, why did you show people, but the answer is if I didn’t, no one would get to see it because it would be destroyed and gone forever.
‘I know there isn’t loads left today but there is enough to paint a picture in your mind of what it was once like and that’s what I am passionate about.
‘It’s a wonderful place and I really hope someone comes along to save it.
‘Some work has obviously been done in there but as I understand it the sale has fallen through.
‘It’s a real shame and it would be lovely to see it brought back to life at some point.’
The mansion has been owned and protected by Safe Heritage, various businesses and estate agencies.
While being passed around one of the owners secured planning permission for the estate encouraging the most recent family to buy it.