Box televisions, patterned wallpaper and Babychams – urban explorers ventured into a deserted property in Wigan, Lancashire which appears untouched since the 1970s.
Andrew and Courtney, both aged 26, who investigate derelict buildings through their social media platform urbexcoupleac, revealed they discovered a Grade II listed, six-bedroom residence that has remained empty since 2017, yet virtually unchanged since the 1970s.
Courtney, originally from Leeds, remarked: “It’s quite sad to see, you walk into the living room and you realise it’s somebody’s family home and it was just left like that one day and never touched again and it’s stayed that way ever since.”
The duo suspect the property belonged to an elderly pair called Jack and Synthia, who survived into their 90s.
They believe Synthia passed away around 2012, leaving Jack by himself in the residence until his own death in 2017, when the property was deserted, reports the Mirror.
Courtney added: “It seems that his wife passed away a few years before Jack died and he lived there alone until he died.
“We worked out the house has been abandoned since 2017, that was the last year on the calendar in the house. The last date marked off was February 15.
“There was a lot still in the house, like cleaning products, drinks, the garden was really overgrown and the house was really big.”
Within the dwelling, they uncovered birthday cards congratulating Synthia on her 90th birthday and Jack’s national service documents, alongside “time capsule” relics such as Babychams and a box television.
Courtney began her explorations during the 2020 lockdown and revealed she adores discovering homes, their history and the stories of those who lived there.
However, she experienced an unusual melancholy whilst walking through the property: “Jack must have lived in one part of the house towards the end. There was a note on the wall that he’d written for his carers to turn the taps off.
“It’s like a time capsule, it’s just frozen in time. A lot of the features in the house are from a long time ago, I think a lot of older people didn’t renovate very often, so it looks even older.
“They would have said on their wedding day “til death do us part” and death did part them.”