Posh Derelict

I shoot all types of property on a daily basis - from apartments to mansions, but the ones I don’t look forward to visiting are the houses termed “posh derelict”.

Many of the homeowners in stately homes or large country estates with acres of land are asset-rich, but cash-poor. This means they have a gigantic home, but are sometimes without the means to maintain it. Council tax, gardeners, repairs, roof or boiler replacement, new furnishings, and a myriad other expenses are inevitable with all property, but in a 6000 sq ft mansion with grounds, it can add up to tens of thousands of pounds or more a year…..every year.

Many of these types of properties are handed down from generation to generation, and eventually, some will fall into ruin after decades of neglect. At some point, some member(s) of the family will decide that selling up is the only option, and an estate agent is called in to value the property. That’s when I’m called in.

Above are three examples of posh derelicts - all in the County Durham area. I’m not certain if any have sold since I shot them, but the process of photography is actually way more speedy and simple than almost any other type of property. Here’s why:

There is no tidying to do - the state of the place is normally beyond any attempt at decluttering, and each room is shot as presented.

Lighting is almost always simple - the rooms generally have high ceilings painted in neutral colours so it can often be done in one frame - set the shutter speed to expose for the window view, then fire a flash up into the ceiling at the corner of the room behind the camera to get the room interior bright at f8 aperture.

Exteriors and Aerials always look good, and can generally be framed with foliage to create spectacular results.

Although they are spectacular, I usually feel a bit sad about doing these houses as they signify the loss of a family heirloom to someone who simply can’t afford to keep them going. Luckily, my family home at Norbury Grove on St. Anthony’s Estate in the east end of Newcastle was a cooncil hoose, so I don’t have to worry about how to spend my multi-million quid inheritance. Silver linings eh?