An enchanting time capsule, the Marion Carll Farmhouse on Long Island has lain empty for years due to a lack of funding and a legal battle over ownership rights. Photographer Bryan Sansivero was granted exclusive access by the local school board and district to capture the beguiling Victorian property before its many antiques and curios were removed. Take a peek around the house that time forgot and transport yourself to a bygone era.

A New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that the school board and district has a right to retain ownership of the property. You can see why they fought over this house. Though crumbling, it still boasts oodles of period charm. Ms Carll was clearly keen to preserve its 19th-century allure and did little if nothing during her lifetime to modernise the farmhouse, which is resplendent with fine antiques and interesting curios.

Talk about a time warp home! The parlour contains some wonderfully evocative pieces including this ornate piano by New York City company Calenberg & Vaupel. The firm first started making musical instruments in 1864, four years after the farmhouse was constructed.

Beautiful marble fireplaces adorn the rooms in the farmhouse and though the wallpaper is peeling off, the property's original features, including the door frames and skirting boards, are in remarkably good condition.

Charming touches pervade the property. These retro homewares range from delicately embroidered cushions and blankets to exquisite china pieces and this enamel chamber pot filled with fabric flowers.

While some areas of the house look to be in a reasonable state, others are obviously dilapidated and in dire need of restoration work. This decaying wall, for instance, has most definitely seen better days. 

The dining room is just as well-appointed and elegant as the other rooms in the farmhouse. A solid wooden table takes pride of place in the centre, while an imposing cabinet off to the side showcases the family's fancy china and glassware.

This dresser in what appears to be the farmhouse kitchen contains the family's day-to-day crockery. The chinoiserie Blue Willow pattern was hugely popular in America during the late 19th century and throughout much of the 20th century.

The walls of this room are decorated with several historical prints including a copy of John Trumbull's iconic Declaration of Independence, which was painted in 1818 and features on the two-dollar bill.

This photo shows what looks like the vintage bathroom or washroom of the farmhouse. Note the white clapboard walls so typical of nearby New England, as well as the fancy gilded mirror and old-style water pump. 

Another Art Deco piece, this wind-up Ingraham Meteor alarm clock was manufactured in 1936. It sits next to a dusty empty bottle of C. C. Parsons' Household Ammonia, an essential cleaning product from way back when.

Photographer Bryan Sansivero has captured yet more dressmaking paraphernalia in this room. Against those starkly cracked walls, this space has a rather dramatic and eerie feel. The dummy is dressed in a corseted bodice and cage crinoline which was used to support the elaborate skirts and bustles of 19th-century dresses. 

This evocative shot shows a chest of drawers that was used as a wash table. Age-old toiletry products feature on the tabletop alongside a jug, bowl and antique towels for daily ablutions.

A pair of black ballet-style shoes, which may have been hand-embroidered by Marion Carll or another member of the family, lies on one of the linen-covered beds in the property, placed next to two fabric roses. 

Peering into the long hallway on the upper floor of the farmhouse, you can't help but notice how rundown parts of the property have become. This wing of the house was used to accommodate slaves before the US-wide abolition of slavery in 1865, thereafter it served as the servants' quarters.

In contrast to the long hallway, this bedroom is in fairly good shape and doesn't look like it would need much more than repapering to restore it to its former glory. Silk dresses, straw hats and ballet shoes pack the closet, along with a pretty parasol. 

The attic room looks like it was once used for storage or perhaps sleeping quarters for domestic staff. Damp stains the ceiling and a number of rusty old cage crinolines hang from wooden hooks on the wall.

Thankfully photographer Bryan Sansivero captured the beauty of this time capsule home before it was lost, a window into the past and the life of a worthy Long Island resident.

In June 2019, the majority of the farmland was leased to the Long Island University for their Veterinary School. The Board of Education has said that the proceeds from the lease would go towards the repair of this grand old farmhouse but some members of the Save Marion Carll Farm Facebook group are sceptical that this is the right move. We can only hope that this beautiful building is saved and Marion's legacy will live on!

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