Inside abandoned house where the owners appear to have upped and left in a hurry
'It was literally like the people who lived there got up in the middle of the night and ran without taking anything.'
Designer clothes left on railings, a loaded dishwasher, and an unfinished game of chess give a creepy edge to a hastily abandoned mansion on the outskirts of London.
The grand home was found by an urban explorer who shared the pictures on condition that his identity was not revealed after he was able to just walk in and look around the empty property.
The huge home to the capital’s north remains eerily preserved as its former occupants appear to have left with great haste.
He found a watch untouched on a bedside table, a ‘Japanese-theme’ piano with the music left out ready to play, and stacks of china sitting on a living room table next to spotlessly white, dust-free sofas.
One bathroom houses a jacuzzi with half-used shampoo and conditioner bottles nearby.
Unopened post 2016 is strewn across the entrance floor yet a potted plant is still alive on a windowsill next to a telescope ready for its owner to study the night sky.
A utility room has a snooker table and outside, cars – including a rusted Bentley – lie in overgrown grass.
The house, which sits empty and is not listed for sale, is one of the best preserved examples of its kind, the explorer said.
‘It was an amazing house to visit,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen a lot of these places and most are in a far worse state than this one.
‘It was literally like the people who lived there got up in the middle of the night and ran without taking anything. There was dry cleaning still in the plastic wrapping – it appears they didn’t even pack a bag.’
He believes the former occupants were likely Russian, but land registry documents show the house is owned by a Dorset-based company.
He added: ‘Maybe they fled back to Russia?’
‘It must have been a fast move as even their toothbrushes were still there.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.