Buy a spooky, forgotten London mansion for $6 million

Malplaquet House, in London’s East End, is an imposing presence on busy Mile End Road, sitting behind a tangled garden and vine-covered wall.

The property was picked up by the Spitalfields Trust in 1997 and revitalisation began. At that point, it had reportedly been uninhabited for more than 100 years, having made it through two world wars and coming under fire during the Blitz.

The owners in 2011, Tim Knox,  a former head curator of the National Trust and Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, a landscape architect – both self-identifed “terrible collectors” talked to The Telegraph about their work restoring the property. They took possession in 1998, when there were still two shops taking up what was the front yard.

“Despite being a complete tip and infested with pigeons, we knew it was full of promise. We lived here from day one in pretty squalid conditions.”

Built between 1741 and 1742 by Thomas Andrews, Malplaquet House was updated and modernised by Mr Harrington Charrington between 1778 and 1827, before falling into disrepair after Charrington’s death in 1833.  It was named for the Battle of Malplaquet in France.

It’s currently listed through Rightmove for £2,950,000 ($6,046,000) – and it’s worth taking a look at the pictures. The walls are covered with crosses or paintings – including the bathroom – and there’s a serious taxidermy collection happening above the stairs. 

The agent has even provided an unexplained ‘ghost photo’, in case you need some inspiration to daydream about the property’s forgotten years. Creepy!

I wonder if there’s an Instagram filter for this. Photo: Rightmove.co.uk

The bathroom. Photo: Rightmove.co.uk

This room has a bit of a motif happening, see if you can guess what it is. Photo: Rightmove.co.uk

Plenty of atmosphere. Photo: Rightmove.co.uk

The garden. Photo: Rightmove.co.uk