The slightly-sombre feeling I got when walking around these 2 houses (and seeing that people had broken in and trashed some of the place) was heightened after seeing one house active on Google Street View as recently as July 2011, with a couple of cars and triangle of people outside (the third person is between the silver car and rear of the building).

I visited twice around Christmas and New Year, a time of year when there always seems to be a raft of famous deaths, so I did wonder about that (you'll see Christmas decorations in the pictures below). As I write this at the start of 2016, David Bowie and Terry Wogan are the 2 most well-known people continuing that sad trend. I don't know if there are statistically more deaths around this time, but maybe many people battle illness to stay with friends and family through Christmas and New Year.

Google Street View, July 2011

I found information that one of the 2 properties was last sold in 1995, and the electoral roll shows 2 people living there until 2013.

Let's go inside...

I thought the outline of the top-right broken window looked like a cockerel or Dr. Seuss creature, so looked closer at the others. Top-left looks like the silhouette of a kid in a console game I can't think of, bottom-left a Yorkshire Terrier, and bottom-right can be a bear's belly. The other front-door is just as interesting to me, with the faded, peeling yellows and blues

Living Rooms

You won't get a great view of the TV by sitting there, but this is how some other photographer (I guess) has set up. I prefer not to touch anything, but did break my rule by moving a pair of red wellies out of the shot Pet cage and Christmas tree - though it looks more like a branch taken from a tree outside. Some older photos show what may have been the original Christmas tree The main living room. It was a peaceful place, until a car or lorry passed by outside and shook the house slightly Spirits and old Quality Street chocolates tin - maybe Christmas gifts as it looked like the house was left at around that time Orange curtain abstract Another view of the living room, from before I moved the red wellies Glasses in the window-sill There were lots of insects caught in spider's webs - here's a peacock butterly. I visited this house for a 2nd time with a close-up lens so I could take a photo like this, but I think I prefer the one below it, which didn't need the close-up lens Peeling paint and another butterfly caught in a web - this looks like a tortoiseshell, but I'm not sure A smaller living room, with a better TV-viewing experience for one person at least Moving to a living-room in the house next-door, which despite much fewer possessions, seems more recently abandoned "The Little Nipper" mousetrap Hole-in-the-wall, from one house to the other Stairs to the dark and damp, but quiet, basement Let's go upstairs...

Upstairs

Dead barn owl Daily Mail newspaper from May 1970. Whenever I spot newspapers from the past, nothing seems to change. "Another blow for Derby"? Derby County sacked their manager a few hours before I'm writing this. Another headline on an open page was "Drivers' ban hits commuter trains" - a few weeks ago Cross Country train drivers went on strike - and I don't keep up, but there have been London tube strikes over the past year too Light-switch and doorway to a completely stripped bedroom Window, wallpaper and carpet Back downstairs...

Fireplaces and Vintage Cookers

Up the chimney

A Blue Kitchen, a Pink Kitchen, and a Green Bathroom

Old food tins in a separate storage room (or pantry). There were lots of empty glass jars too I only found one bathroom between the 2 houses, and no indoor toilets

Outside

The rear of the building, with bird-boxes on the trees Rubbish collection calendar Old greenhouse frame Outdoor toilet, with a shed at each side The outdoor toiletNewspaper in the outdoor toilet Inside the shed that's (mostly) still standing The blowing curtain looks like a mushroom with big eyes, and there's an overweight-looking Charlie Chaplin-type face in the left "eye"... The roof, from an upstairs window

Interestingly, since I uploaded these photos, I had a message from another photographer who mentioned that the Christmas decorations weren't there when she visited, over a year before my visit. I don't agree with moving things, never mind adding props! Don't always believe what you see. Here are her photos: www.the-elusive.uk/?p=1808.

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