Just as former BBC Radio 4 ‘Desert Islands Discs’ host Kirsty Young buys her own island, another on the coast of Maine goes on sale for just £250,000; Ducks Ledges Island comes with a tiny cottage (but lacks a proper Thomas Crapper)
When The Steeple Times featured the £79,000 ($106,000, €94,000 or درهم391,000) sale of a ruined castle on a tiny plot of just 0.54-acres on Lough Key in County Roscommon in Ireland in November 2018, the story went viral. It continues to attract huge amounts of interest to this day and now we can share something similar and equally bizarre currently for sale off the coast of Addison, Maine in the USA.
Offered for £252,000 ($339,000, €300,000 or درهم1.2 million) and slightly larger than its Irish sibling at 1.5-acres, treeless Ducks Ledges Island comes with a slightly less substantial – in terms of its wooden construction – 540-square-foot cottage.
Built in 2009 by William ‘Billy Milliken’ – a realtor who specialises in island properties on the Bold Coast of Maine and whose motto is “we’re LOCAL and AVAILABLE’ and whose firm is selling the property via the Maine Listings website also – for his own use, the fully-furnished cottage comprises of a ground floor room with a lofted bedroom (where you might need to duck to avoid banging your head) accessed by a ladder above.
The building is “fully equipped” with the Internet and electricity according to Globe.com, but though lacking in an indoor lavatory, has an outhouse for what might be called “the ablutions” in British army slang nearby.
Of that feature, in October last year, Mr Milliken told the paper’s Megan Johnson: “It’s a one holer. We’ll even throw in a half bag of lime… At some point, you got wash your ass. You can do that in the ocean, but it’s awfully cold in Maine.”
Going further, Milliken remarked of the compactness of the setting and added: “It makes you feel small when you’re on the island. The seals, the seabirds, the eagles, and the noises they make at night. And what’s interesting about an island with no trees, you really get that sense of how small you really are.”
Previously, in July 2021, Madeline Bilis for Apartment Therapy declared of the island:
“[I] have a crush on this property. There’s one place my mind drifts to when summer’s heat and humidity melts me down into a puddle: Maine. Vacationland’s cool, breezy coast seems like the perfect place to be right about now, and this private island for sale up north is my daydream realised.”
“This stunning hunk of land is up there. Way up there. Sandwiched between the shores of Acadia National Park and the Canadian border lies the 1.5-acre plot. There are two towns on the nearby mainland, Addison and Jonesport, with marinas for you to launch a boat to get to it.”
The compact cottage on Ducks Ledges Island is tiny, but for lazy summers’ evenings, there is a barbeque and hammock even to enjoy sunsets on its deck.The only outhouse for “the ablutions” on the island is certainly beyond basic.McDermott’s Island at the southeastern end of Lough Key, near Boyle in County Roscommon proved very popular with readers of ‘The Steeple Times’ in spite of the castle there being in a very “perilous state.” Associated with the Legend of Una Bhan – the tragic story of a girl who fell in love with the son of the clan chief owner of the island – McDermott’s Island also featured in the works of W. B. Yeats and was visited by Sir Bob Geldoff when he made a BBC film titled ‘A Fanatic Heart’ about the Irish poet in 2016. It was previously used for the Sky One sitcom ‘Moone Boy’ starring Steve Coogan and Johnny Vegas in 2014.Kirsty Young waxed lyrical about living on desert islands whilst interviewing guests for the BBC Radio 4 show ‘Desert Island Discs’ between 2006 to 2018. Ironically, she now has her own and on it she plans to build a 3 bedroom lodge, a boathouse, a boat shelter and other outbuildings to replace the existing derelict lodge. Her and her husband Nick Jones have spoken of how they are “committed to immediate action and long-term environmental management” of currently “neglected” Inchconnachan Island.
Elsewhere in Scotland last week, The Scottish Sun reported that the former BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young has ironically turned fantasy on air into reality by paying £1.55 million ($2.09 million, €1.85 million or درهم7.66 million) for a 103-acre “neglected” private island on Loch Lomond in Scotland. Inchconnachan Island comes complete with a colony of 60 wallabies, but no human has lived there for two decades.
More Pictures – Ducks Ledges Island, Wohoa Bay, Addison, Maine, ME 04606, United States of America
Fifteen-bedroom house outside New York with supposed potential to make £75 million for sale for just £373,000; could this be America’s answer to Del Boy’s ‘Peckham Springs’?
In October 2014, The Steeple Times featured the £8 million ($10.7 million, €9.5 million or درهم39.4 million) sale of a 26-acre Cotswolds estate complete with its own “high in calcium, low in sodium,” natural spring water producing facility.
Now, for a hell of a lot less in terms of initial outlay, an aspiring Del Boy could produce an estimated return of £75 million ($100 million, €88 million or درهم367 million) in ‘Peckham Springs-esque’ style if they bought a 13.74-acre property in Richfield Springs, New York that comes complete with the potential to make what an estate agent claims to be upto £75 million ($100 million, €88 million or درهم367 million) from a “mineral water aquifer with millions of gallons of water.”
In ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ – first broadcast on the BBC on the 25th December 1992 – the Trotters attempt to sell tap water as spring water. They con a local organic health shop owner into authenticating their ‘product’ and get a trial at a major supermarket even. Sales are subsequently boosted by drought warnings from the local water board, but eventually their venture is ruined by the fact that they themselves had contaminated the local reservoir by dumping barrels containing an unknown yellow substance there.The Trotters believed they’d get rich from their venture and for a time they didn’t do too badly… Whoever purchases ‘The Bella Vista’ could do well, but, equally, who knows, their ‘project’ might just end up being another white elephant.An image of the house circa 1905 when it was the residence of someone named R. F. Wescott.One part of the “mineral baths” in the basement of the property – complete with a rather oddly located radiator and some dodgy looking pipes and cables. Further imagery showing the “mineral baths” in their current state. They clearly are in need of some renovation.The property is in the village of Richfield Springs in Ortsego County, new York. According to Wikipedia: “The area of Richfield Springs was called Ga-no-wan-ges by the Oneida Indians which translated to ‘stinking water’ … [and its] name is derived from local sulfur springs.”
Offered for just £373,000 ($500,000, €441,000 or درهم1.8 million) or £33 per square foot ($44 per square foot, €39 per square foot or درهم162 per square foot), 15-bedroom, 20-bathroom 241 E. Main Street is described as a “single family residence” built in 1900.
Named ‘The Bella Vista’ and lauded as an “iconic Queen Anne style mansion,” the 4-storey building has been used previously as a nursing home and features two “huge mineral spa pools in the basement” as well as a commercial kitchen.
Marketed by Delbert Ball of Keller Williams Mowhawk Valley, the property is described as “in need of some deferred maintenance [and] sold as is,” but having “enormous opportunity potential.”
Water minded entrepreneurs with pound signs flashing in their skulls at the prospect of money flowing like water, however, should be reminded of the December 1992 episode of the BBC’s Only Fools and Horses titled ‘Mother Nature’s Son.’
In it, Derek Trotter (AKA ‘Del Boy’) and his brother Rodney bottle tap water and sells it as ‘Peckham Spring Water.’ Whilst their scam is successful at first, their product becomes contaminated by barrels of an unknown yellow substance they’d dumped in a local reservoir and that becomes the end of that.
The entrance hallway of the house.A grand staircase connects the floors of the building.In terms of entertaining spaces, the ‘mansion’ includes “two grand parlours with pocket doors, all-natural wood flooring and spacious windows” as well as its two Sulphur spas with “large lounge areas.”The building is perpetuated by wooden paneling throughout.A commercial kitchen from when the property was used as a nursing home remains in-situ. Its condition is unknown, but it likely needs to be and will be ripped out by any purchaser.One of 15 bedrooms in a vast building that has the potential to be turned back into a very large family home or a small hotel even.Another bedroom complete with an original fireplace.An aerial views showing the plot and the circular driveway that wraps around ‘The Bella Vista.’The building is clearly in need of considerable renovation and the hideous extension to the rear would be best be demolished.The Bella Vista, 241 E. Main Street, Richfield Springs, Richfield, Otsego County, New York, NY 13439 is situated in a village at the northern end of Canadargo Lake and at the border of Herkimer County.The plot and views from the property are idyllic.
White elephant country house in Wiltshire belonging to Robbie Williams back on the market for knockdown price after he describes it as “creepy”
If you could cope with having the unctuous so-called ‘comedian’ Michael McIntyre as a near neighbour and fancy moving into a bargain mansion – with several catches – currently owned by the popstar Robbie Williams, you might have found your dream residence in the £6.75 million Compton Bassett House, near Calne in Wiltshire.
Described in May 2010 as an example of “how to lose money on a country house” by Matthew Beckett in his blog The Country Seat, the problem with Compton Bassett House is that it is situated in a village which ‘boasts’ not only a somewhat stinky recycling facility, but also a site where a 60-acre quarry could be built just two fields away.
Featured in The Steeple Times when he and his wife, Ayda, tried to sell it in June 2013 for the vastly knocked-down price of £5.5 million – the singer had paid £8.1 million for it in December 2008 prior to his marriage in August 2010 – the vast 19,913 square foot main house was originally constructed as a coach house to the adjoining then mansion – which was at the time called Compton Bassett House.
Converted to a residence in 1935 after the main house to which it was attached was demolished in 1929, the current “remarkable period house, recently to restored to an exemplary standard” – according to the rather over-enthusiatic selling agents Knight Frank – consists of 4 reception rooms, 3-bedroom suites and 4 additional bedrooms. There are also two staff flats and a cottage whilst “leisure facilities” number a 73-foot swimming pool, hot tub, tennis court and grass football pitch.
Standing in 71.55 acres of gardens, grounds, paddocks and woodland, the property also has a helicopter hangar, garaging and a workshop, yet of this supposed rural idyll in February this year, the Take That Star told a podcast:
“It gives me the creeps. Teddy [his son] told me, ‘That room scares me. I don’t like that house.’”
“I said, ‘It scares me too. You don’t have to sleep there anymore.’ If there is great grief or great pain or tragedy, I think it can soak into the walls and leave an essence there that remains for a very, very long time.”
Speaking to the MailOnline this week, a Knight Frank representative contradicted these remarks and on behalf of Robbie Williams and his wife commented:
“[It] has been the perfect escape for our family. The gardens and trees have enchanted us with their magic, and on rainy days – of which there are many in England – we have played and splashed around the indoor pool, much to our delight.”
Talking to Country Life, the couple themselves enthused: “It is most definitely a family friendly house that deserves to have much more laughter and joy within its beautiful walls. We hope the incoming purchaser will enjoy just as much as we have.”
Going further of the supposedly “creepy” crib, the unnamed agent concluded:
“Although our clients are sad to be leaving, they’re certain that the next owners will love it as much as they have. The house has the benefit of being on the edge of the village but also has beautiful gardens, and grounds surrounding it providing complete privacy and protection.”
Mr and Mrs Williams are said to be selling, on this particular occasion, after having “never really felt at home there,” the Mirror reported in February. At the time, a source told the paper:
“They’re both really excited to have found exactly the lifestyle they were looking for in Switzerland. They’ve been there for less than a year but the children are settled in schools and they all love the calm, family vibe they’ve got going on there.”
The Names & Numbers – Compton Bassett House, Compton Bassett, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 8RE, United Kingdom
September 2021 – For sale for £6.75 million ($9.23 million, €7.87 million or درهم33.89 million) through Knight Frank, a sum 17% lower than was paid for it in December 2008.
June 2013 – For sale for significantly reduced price of £5.5 million ($7.5 million, €6.4 million or درهم27.6 million), a sum 32% lower than was paid for it in December 2008.
May 2010 – Placed on the market by Robbie Williams for £7.1 million ($9.7 million, €8.3 million or درهم35.6 million), a sum 12% lower than was paid for it in December 2008.
December 2008 – Sold to Robbie Williams for £8.1 million ($11 million, €9.4 million or درهم40.6 million). Of it, at the time, he remarked: “It’s lovely down there and the people have been great with us.”
2007 – Put on the market by Mr and Cripps for £8.5 million ($11.6 million, €9.9 million or درهم42.7 million). At the time, Paul Cripps told The Times that he’d decided to sell because he and his wife were “fed up of having to get into the car for a paper or a pint of milk.”
2001 – Sold to a couple named Paul and Selene Cripps, who are said to have spent £3 million ($4.1 million, €3.5 million or درهم15 million) changing the interior.
1992 – Sold to a Mr John Pringle by Lord Foster of Thames Bank, as he later became in 1999.
Early 1990s – Extensively altered by the architect Sir Norman Foster.
1935 – Converted from stables into a home by Captain Sir Guy Benson after the original Compton Bassett House was demolished in 1929.
What will be the world’s 28th largest ‘megayacht’ to be offered for sale for the surprisingly low bargain basement sum of ‘just’ £18.3 million and at no reserve; why doesn’t Boris Johnson buy it for Britain?
A ‘megayacht’ – defined as a vessel of over 197-foot (60-metres) in length – that will soon come in to beat Andrey Melnichencko’s somewhat stark looking Philippe Starck designed motor yacht A as the 28th largest motor vessel in the world is to be auctioned in November.
‘Project Y910’ was originally built in 1990 at the Gdyina Yard in Poland in 1990 and served as a commercial vessel until 1998. She sailed under the name ‘Vladimir Chivilikhin’ and was named after the Soviet Russian writer best known for exploring the subjects of “man, society and nature” in works that included ‘Land in Distress’, ‘Does She Love You?’ and ‘Swedish Stops’ and also human personalities in ‘Above Sea Level’ and ‘Fiddlesticks!’Motor yacht ‘A’ (left) – owned by oligarch Andrey Melnichenko and pictured here with its sister sailing yacht ‘A’ (right) – is currently the 28th largest megayacht in the world at 390-foot (119-metre) in length. ‘Project Y910’ will send that particular gin palace into 29th place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7yJCJPbovc
Conversion of the vessel was begun in 2006 and during this time works were carried out in Singapore, Split, Trogir and Malta amongst other places.
Built originally in Poland in 1990 as a passenger vessel and named after the Russian writer Vladimir Chivilikhin, the vessel offered was in service until 1998 and subsequently renamed KAY after being sent off for conversion.
In the ensuing years, nothing much occurred other than this unfinished lump of metal moving from yard to yard, but now whomever currently owns it has clearly had enough and put it up for auction.
Capable of circumnavigating the globe and cruising through remote regions including the Arctic due to its 1A-ice class hull, Project Y910, as it is now named, is in need of a new owner whose visions “are only capped by the imagination” according to Superyacht Times.
Aside from capacity for 36 guests in 18 cabins and accommodation for 50 crew also, this almighty gin palace will have two swimming pools, two helipads and a helicopter hangar with lift when completed. It will have space for not only “nautical toys,” but also “multiple vehicles” including SUVs even. However, the vast estimated required budget to create this floating ‘McMansion’ is not declared.
Two-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, SW3 goes on sale for just £10,995 in spite of having a rental potential of £14,000 per year
In June, The Steeple Times featured a one-bedroom Kings Road, Chelsea apartment that was offered for £140,000 at auction and eventually went for just £138,000. That property’s price seemed like a bargain basement, but now we can go one better and share news of a two-bedroom property offered for just £10,995.
Marketed at a price lower than the cost of a brand new Vauxhall Corsa and situated in Dilke Street, Old Chelsea, the flat currently on the website OnTheMarket.com does have a catch – the lease term is just five years and there are additional costs attached.
Promoted by “wealth building” firm Omny Group, the particulars list a financial breakdown of the returns that could supposedly be generated from the property. They read as follows:
Figures based on an estimated annual average occupancy of 75% pcm and annual projected average daily rate of £200
Projected monthly figures:
Projected rental income = £4,550
Projected management costs (15% of rental income) = £682
Monthly lease payment = £2,225
Projected bills (a variable cost based on the property in terms of utility bills i.e council tax, water, electric, gas etc.) = £400
Potential average NET monthly income = £1,243
Potential average NET annual income = £14,196
Potential average NET income over 5 year term = £74,580
*Disclaimer – There is no option to purchase the property at the end of the term. Tenants may choose to self occupy this apartment although Omny Group would advise that this property is set up for and used as serviced accommodation utilising the corporate lets and/or the short lets model. The figures provided in the financial breakdown are potential or projected figures that have been sourced from the Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report 2019/2020; however Omny Group are not able to offer any performance guarantees.*
Kings Road, Chelsea, SW3 flat goes on sale for just £40,000 in an area where a house has been offered for £200 million
Whilst most consider Chelsea – the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – ritzy, in March 2014, realty firm Beauchamp Estates bizarrely declared it “a place where servants live.”
Now, contrasting with the sale of what potentially could be “Britain’s most expensive home” in the same area – the £200 million plus ($278 million, €233 million or درهم1 billion) The Old Rectory, Old Church Street, featured in The Steeple Times in May 2019 – a comparative bargain basement property has gone on sale in the vicinity.
Set to be offered in an online auction on Wednesday 14th July with an estimate of just £40,000 ($56,000, €47,000 or درهم204,000), Flat 10, Blenheim House at 180 Kings Road most certainly must be the cheapest one bedroom flat currently available in the Royal Borough.
Described as “requiring modernisation,” the third floor flat includes an entrance hall, small kitchenette, sitting room, bedroom and en-suite shower room. It is situated at the corner with Burnsall Street and above the Snappy Snaps shop.
The catch? The property is on a lease that has just five years remaining that expires on 16th September 2026. Unlike with many other properties with such short tenures, however, agents McHugh & Co. state: “If requested by the purchaser prior to completion, the sellers solicitor at the expense of the purchaser will serve notice on the freeholder pursuant to a Section 42 Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and assign the benefit of that notice to the purchaser.”
Curious Facts About The Kings Road
The 1.9-mile long road was the king’s private road until 1830 and thus some people refer to it as ‘King’s Road’ whilst others simply reference it ‘Kings Road.’
The World’s End estate takes its name from King James II, who considered the area to be the end of the world when he used to ride down Kings Road.
Famous residents have included Sir Arthur and Lady Colefax, Ellen Terry and Peter Ustinov.
Argyll House (213) is undoubtedly the road’s grandest house. It has been home to the 4th Duke of Argyll and the 5th Marquis of Normanby amongst others.
‘The Pheasantry’ (152) is now a Pizza Express, but was originally the site of a business breeding exotic pheasants, cattle and foxes. It later became the residence of Eleanor Thornton – who became the inspiration for the Rolls-Royce mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy – and as “bohemian apartments” housed Eric Clapton, Anthony Haden-Guest and Germaine Greer.
The Water Rat (383) – now a restaurant named Chicama – was the haunt of the actor and gangster John Bindon in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A one-time “squeeze” of Princess Margaret, Bindon was known for being able to hang five half-pint beer glasses on his penis.
In 1876, the world’s first artificial ice rink opened just off the road.
Sir Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirt movement had a barracks on the road in the 1930s.
In his 1955 thriller Moonraker, Ian Fleming describes his legendary spy James Bond as residing in “a comfortable flat in a plane tree’d square off the Kings Road.” Another of fiction’s most famous spies, George Smiley (created by John le Carré), lived just off the Kings Road at 9 Bywater Street.
Dame Mary Quant OBE – inventor of the miniskirt – opened her first boutique in the Kings Road in 1955. It was named Bazaar and now features a blue plaque dedicated to her.
In the 1960s, the road was the centre of mod culture and later, in the punk and hippie eras, it was dominated by counterculture.
In 1969, a lion named Christian was purchased from Harrods by John Rendall and Anthony Bourke. He went to live in their furniture store on the Kings Road before later being taken to live in the wild in the Kora National Reserve in Africa.
Led Zeppelin’s record label Swan Song Records was based at 484 Kings Road from its inception in 1974 until the company closed in 1983.
The Pet Shop Boys met in an electronic store on the road in 1981.
The first UK branch of Starbucks opened on the road in 1998.
‘The Steeple Times’ selects five undesirable homes currently for sale that many would say would remain best avoided; they’ve all been in the news and they’re all connected to infamous names
Destined most certainly not to feature in Penny Churchill’s Downton Abbey-esque country house porn Country Life column or as an Evening Standard chi-chi ‘Homes & Property’ ‘House of the Week,’ we have selected five undesirable homes currently for sale.
In spite of the fact that one has a link to a recently deceased paedophile, two have been the scene of murders, one is supposedly haunted and the final was the setting for a bizarre nine year sleep, their prices seem somewhat crazy – but maybe some people will just love the idea of living with notoriety. Whether any of these undesirable homes sell for their asking prices, however, seems as likely as the case of Jack the Ripper ever being solved.
Paedo Palace – 9 East 71st Street, Lenox Hill, New York, NY 10021, USA
For sale for £69 million ($88 million, €74 million or درهم121 million) through Modlin Group.
Known as the ‘Herbert Straus House’ in polite circles, but now forever more likely to be remembered as ‘Jeffrey Epstein’s Paedo Mansion,’ this 28,000 square foot, 7-floor, 40 room mansion was home to the deceased bestie of Prince Andrew from 1996 until his incarceration and suicide in 2019.
Few details are shared on the listing other than to declare it of “gargantuan size and opulence” and “the largest single-family home in New York City.” Though the late Alberto Pinto’s design work at the property is lauded, there’s no mention of what Ghislaine Maxwell got up to there or the bizarre birthday parties with Christopher Mason.
Originally called ‘Oakleigh,’ this “striking Gothic Victorian villa” subsequently became known as ‘The House of Horror’ but has now been renamed ‘Devisdale House’ in an attempt to relieve it of a position in the ranks of undesirable homes.
In March 2005, Christopher Lumsden, a partner in the international law firm Pinsent Masons, killed his former Sotheby’s auctioneer wife Alison in the house in a “frenzied domestic attack in the master bedroom” according to The Sun. He stabbed her 30 times after she announced she was leaving him for another man and was amazingly jailed for just five years “after he was found guilty of manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility, claiming he had a depressive illness.”
‘Oakleigh’ subsequently “fell into rack and ruin” in spite of reports suggesting Lumsden may have inherited his wife’s fortune, but more recently it was purchased by a property developer. They have added an especially ghastly underground swimming pool, sauna, cinema room and triple garage and now pompous selling agents Jackson-Stops pretentiously laud the property as “incredible,” “striking” and “meticulously remodelled.” Christopher Lumsden, meanwhile, was released from prison after serving just two years of his jail sentence.
A Killer Castle – Pencoed Castle, Pencoed Lane, Llanmartin, Newport, Gwent, Wales, NP18 2ED, UK
For sale with a guide price of £950,000 ($1.2 million, €1 million or درهم1.7 million) by auction on 17th September 2020 through Allsop.
Pencoed Castle dates to the 13th century and in the time since one can imagine all sorts has gone on there. Most recently, in 2016, a then 56-year-old businessman Peter Morgan strangled his girlfriend of three years, a 25-year-old personal escort named Georgina Symonds, in a bungalow in the castle grounds. The married multi-millionaire was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years in prison and with that the estate found itself joining the ranks of undesirable homes.
Wales Online report that “it is not known if Mr Morgan still owns the property,” but for less than a million pounds, a buyer could get themselves not only the castle (which could be turned into 12 dwellings and offices also), but also a former farmhouse, two bungalows and 64.8 acres of land. Previous plans to turn the site into a Disneyland-style theme park called Legend Court came to nothing and of the property a local cryptically remarked: “This place’s recent history is very dark.”
Axing a Ghost – Maplecroft, 306 French Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, MA 02720, USA
For sale for £696,000 ($890,000, €751,000 or درهم1.2 million) through Century 21 The Seyboth Team.
Sold last for £469,000 in February 2018 and £386,000 in November 2014, Maplecroft is described by realtor Suzanne St. John as “a Queen Anne Victorian Mansion,” but many would consider it fitting instead of a listing on a roster of undesirable homes. It was built in 1887, extends to 3,935 square foot and includes 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.
The allegedly haunted residence, which stands on a plot of 0.31 acres, is notable as the post-prison home of one Lizzie Borden (1860 – 1927) – a woman who was the main suspect in the 1892 axe murders of her father and step-mother. Accused, tried and acquitted, Miss Borden inherited a fortune, bought Maplecroft and when she died of pneumonia her wake was held in the parlour.
The current owner also owns the house where the murders were committed and runs it as a ‘murder house B&B.’ He had intended to convert Maplecroft into something similar, but COVID-19 (and perhaps the spirit of Lizzie Borden) got in the way.
A Nine Year Sleep – Sleepy Cottage, 1 School Lane, Turville, Henley-On-Thames, Buckinghamshire, RG9 6QX, UK
For sale for £750,000 ($960,000, €810,000 or درهم1.3 million) through Savills.
Strictly speaking, our final choice in our roster of undesirable homes, has had only a gruesome past in a fictional sense given that it sits in a village used in Midsomer Murders. Nobody in their right minds – if such a place did really exist – would want to reside in any of Midsomer’s locations given the risk of ending up brown bread would be so high, but the innocent sounding name of this cottage makes it worthy of mention.
Used also in the perfectly harmless series Goodnight Uncle Tom and the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom Sleepy Cottage is also noteworthy as it was most famously home to ‘The Sleeping Girl of Turville.’
Of this enigma, selling agents Savills remark:
“Ellen Sadler, who lived in the cottage with her family when in 1871, aged eleven she purportedly fell into a deep sleep from which she could not be roused for nine years. The case attracted international attention from newspapers, medical professionals and the public. She became a tourist attraction for the village, and her family made considerable money from visitors’ donations.”
“Rumours exist that among the elder Turville residents that Royalty even took an interest in her. The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, visited her and laid his hands on her which people in those days believed would cure the sick.”
“As the years went on and with no sign of Ellen waking, speculation grew that her illness was caused by her mother, an issue that was never resolved. In late 1880, soon after her mother’s death, Ellen awoke. She later married and had at least five children.”
Undesirable Homes Currently For Sale – Pictured top: Jeffrey Epstein’s initials were prominently displayed at the entrance to 9 East 71st Street whilst the entrance hallway beyond aimed to impress with its classical grandeur. Goodness knows how many unfortunates passed through this space on their way on their way to be abused by the late Mr Epstein and his mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
