This beautiful old home hides an eerie abandoned operating theatre
Discover the secrets of this derelict home
Eerie entrance hall
As captured by photographer Bryan Sansivero, as you step through the creaky front door, you're confronted with the rather gruesome sight of a wolf-skin rug. Emitting an eerie orange glow, the coloured windowpanes around the door only serve to heighten the sense of foreboding. Wallpaper peels away from the walls and old furniture and debris litter the dark hallway.
Startling wolf-skin
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Panelled parlour
Furnishings of yesteryear
Many Americans of a certain age will recognise a number of old-fashioned homewares and furnishings, including the room's console TV. These fancy wood-surround models with brass coffin handles were all the rage during the late 1970s and early 1980s. This particular model is a Zenith, dating from around the mid-1980s.
Library wall
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Hunting for clues
Peering closer at the bookcase, you can make out the titles of some of the tomes, which offer a tantalising clue as to who resided in the house. In addition to several biographies of former US presidents and other important figures, there are numerous medical books on surgery, midwifery and more.
1970s kitchen
The nostalgic kitchen is quintessentially 1970s with its chocolate-brown tiling and colour scheme, an especially popular design choice at the time. It's kitted out with a 1970s General Electric double wall oven, extractor and hob, while to the right sits a microwave from the 1980s.
Modern alarm
Secured to the peeling kitchen wall, there's a well-used 1980s Comdial extension phone, along with an old decorative plate, a small wooden spice cabinet, sconce, faded artwork and, tellingly, a modern alarm control panel, implying the property was abandoned fairly recently.
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Nature encroaches
Despite the modern touches, this abandoned home is losing the fight with Mother Nature. A wayward branch is growing through a window in one of the ground-floor rooms, which looks like it’s seen much better days.
Neglected windows
Many of the original sash windows in the house are showing signs of neglect and possibly damp, perhaps caused by exposure to the elements. Here, paintwork is peeling away from this once-regal frame, though the panes seem to be in a decent condition.
Faded sunroom
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Waiting room
Delving further into the house, the building's dark secret starts to become clear. The home of a doctor, this wood-panelled space is actually a waiting room. Another macabre wolf-skin rug decorates the floor of the room, which also contains a mid-century console radio and built-in bookcase.
Examination space
Curious potions
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Bygone concoctions
Clinic room
More than simply a family doctor's office, the in-house facility looks to have been a full-blown clinic. This room, which has an ever so slightly spine-chilling Silent Hill vibe, may have been used to deliver babies or even undertake minor procedures.
Operating theatre
Even more reminiscent of a horror film, the spooky abandoned house appears to contain a bona fide operating theatre, but like the other medical rooms in the house, it's more likely to have been used for examining patients or carrying out less serious procedures.
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Venturing upstairs
Time-warp landing
The upstairs landing might be a little dated but it's actually in a decent condition compared to the state of a lot of abandoned old houses. Nevertheless, if you look closely, you'll see that the wallpaper is peeling away from the wall on the left and the paintwork is flaking from the door frames, indicating an issue with damp.
Cracked photograph
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Founding Father
Master bedroom
The largest upstairs space is the master bedroom, which still has an air of grandeur about it. An eerie time warp, a grand four-poster bed, adorned with an intricate tasselled crochet canopy, takes pride of place in the room.
Elegant proportions
Despite its disordered state, there's no mistaking the elegant proportions of the main bedroom. Painted in the same soft blue, the regal fireplace makes a grand focal point, while the sizeable wardrobe has been cleared out, with only a couple of garments left hanging.
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Discarded clothing
Moving into another of the bedrooms, two large built-in wardrobes are brimming with brightly-coloured dresses, shoes and hat boxes. Inexplicably left to rot, we wonder why these opulent garments were abandoned?
Hunting boots
Old photographs
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Charming bedroom
Framed by more colourful wood panelling, this charming bedroom has yet another large fireplace, ideal for keeping cosy in the winter months. Above the mantelpiece, an old framed picture depicts a fox hunt, in case we were in any doubt as to the past residents' interests.
Rustic furnishings
Curious clue
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Unanswered questions
While this dilapidated dream home offers up a fascinating snapshot of yesteryear, including a treasure trove of eerie medical paraphernalia and hunting trophies, it still keeps its secrets close to its chest. What made the family up sticks and abandon their life here, leaving an array of personal belongings to weather the test of time? If only walls could talk...
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