150-year-old abandoned Bournemouth cottage sells for £ 430.00 after going under the hammer at auction

An abandoned cottage covered in undergrowth, shattered windows and a partially collapsed roof sold for a whopping £ 430,000.

The abandoned property, named ‘Grasshopper Cottage’, was valued at £ 275,000 before going up for auction in early September.

But on the day of the auction, interest and bidding in the 150-year-old Dorset chalet took off.

The entrance to the house, which just sold for £ 155,000 more than its asking price, shows overgrown foliage and broken windows

The Victorian property is not listed, so the new owners have the option of demolishing it and restarting it – or restoring and expanding what is already there.

Grasshopper Cottage was built in the 1870s and has been compared to Hansel and Gretel’s Witch’s Cottage due to its secluded woodland setting.

The house had been abandoned and now has a partially collapsed roof, broken windows everywhere and no gas or water.

Inside it also has exposed walls and floors and is in need of a complete renovation.

The Victorian property is not listed and the new owners might just tear it down and start over or may want to restore and expand what is already there.

Abandoned: old personal effects remain in the chalet, which was left by its former owners five years ago

One of the three bedrooms shows torn wallpaper, dated bed and broken windows as well as a crack in the wall

The house includes an entrance hall, two reception rooms, a kitchen, a pantry, a laundry room and a bathroom on the ground floor

Although it appears frozen in time with ivy and tree foliage, previous owners only left it five years ago.

Symonds & Sampson real estate agent Meredith Holmes said the renovated chalet in Verwood, Dorset, would be worth at least half a million pounds.

It has 80 m² of living space with an entrance hall, two reception rooms, a kitchen, a pantry, a laundry room and a bathroom on the ground floor and three bedrooms upstairs.

There are also two sheds and a field workshop, which total just under an acre and include paddocks.

The new owners would need to completely renovate the chalet to make it habitable, as there are no gas or water pipes, only electricity

Entrance and staircase: the chalet has a view of the farmland when the trees are cut

The side of the property: There are also two sheds and a workshop on the grounds, which total just under an acre and include paddocks

It sits in a secluded position overlooking farmland, once some of the trees in the garden have been cut down.

Ms Holmes said: “This was an executor sale, so not much is known about the history of the property.

“The owner was a hoarder and when I first went to see the house it was full of furniture, books and all kinds.

“It would be a huge job to restore it. We have had people who watched it who would tear it down and do it again, but the majority of people who watch it want to restore it and live in it themselves.

“The house is not listed, but I don’t think the developers would like it. There are some restrictions as it is in a green belt and close to an SSSI.

Foliage grows inward through the broken windows of the house, which surprisingly has just sold for £ 430,000 despite its problems

The garden has a well with a septic tank, but is “completely overgrown” now and “needs a little attention”

“The garden was once a pretty garden, but now it’s completely overgrown and needs some attention.

‘The house has electricity but there is no gas or water, there is a well in the garden and there is a septic tank.

“The roof needs some serious attention and it needs to be enlarged – at the moment it has three bedrooms upstairs and no bathroom, the kitchen is quite small and there is only a ‘only one bathroom downstairs.

“But it’s incredibly unique, I’ve never seen something like it auctioned off, in terms of its location, setting and condition. It is a unique opportunity for someone.

“It’s literally like stepping back in time, some people have described it as a Hansel and Gretel house.

“It would take a long time for someone to get it right.

“I think the guide price was a realistic value given the work involved, but the problem with auctions is you never know what people are willing to pay.”