Buy your own ghost village for £50,000

 

 

 

Buy your own ghost village for £50,000: Thousands of abandoned Spanish hamlets for sale at less than the price of a London garage   Entire Spanish villages on sale for as little as £50,000 - £200,000 less than the average UK home Buyers get a three-bedroom main house, five other buildings, a fresh-water spring, and 140,000sqft of farmland One village with six houses and 32,000sqft of land costs £75,000, the same as a Battersea parking space According to an estate agent there are around 2,900 deserted villages in rural Spain Clusters of houses were left abandoned after families fled the countryside during Spain's recession Rotting and abandoned, these ghostly Spanish villages were deserted during the recession as their owners fled the country to find jobs in the city. But now they are being snapped up by foreigners, a third of them British, for knock-down prices and turned into idyllic retirement properties. For just £75,000 an adventurous investor can snap up the village of Ribeira Sacra along with six houses, a warehouse, and 32,000sqft of land - the same price as a parking space in Battersea or a two-bedroom bungalow in Bognor Regis. For sale: hamlet in Spain. Needs work. Price: zero euros. Like thousands of abandoned villages in Spain, A Barca -- with its 12 crumbling stone homes covered in moss and ivy -- is seeking a new owner to bring it back to life. Local officials in Spain's verdant northwestern region of Galicia hope to give away the hamlet, which is nestled in a hillside overlooking the Mino river near the Portuguese border. The successful applicant must present a development project for the village, which dates back to the 15th century, that will preserve all of its buildings. Several proposals have already been made but Avelino Luis de Francisco Martinez, the mayor of Cortegada, the municipality that oversees A Barca, said he would prefer a tourism project. "Something that would provide work to villagers and local businesses," he said. The residents of A Barca left in the 1960s when a dam was built, which flooded their farmland. But most of Spain's abandoned hamlets have been deserted by residents who moved to larger cities or better land for farming. Spain's National Statistics Institute estimates that there are around 2,900 empty villages across the country, according to Rafael Canales, the manager of a website specialising in the sale of deserted hamlets called aldeasabandonadas.com. Over half are in Galicia, a largely rural region that is home to the famous pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela, and the neighbouring region of Asturias. Spain's lengthy economic downturn, which has sent the jobless rate soaring to just over 26 percent, has pushed more owners to put their properties up for sale. "We count as our clients many writers, painters or rural tourism professionals," said Canales. Mark Adkinson, the British manager of a rival online portal called galicianrustic.com, said his company had identified 400 abandoned villages in the eastern part of Galicia alone. When Adkinson, who is based 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Cortegada, finds an empty village he starts searching for its owners. The task is sometimes difficult, even impossible. Often the owners of abandoned properties moved away long ago and have not been heard from since. In other cases property deeds have been lost and can't easily be found. "It also happens sometimes that owners themselves come to us and propose putting their property up for sale," said Adkinson, a former livestock breeder from Lancashire who has lived in Galicia for nearly three decades. - Foreign interest - The abandoned villages are especially appealing to foreigners like Neil Christie, a 60-year-old retired Briton who used to work in television. He bought three stone houses and a granary raised on rock pillars -- typical in the northwest of Spain -- that make up the hamlet of Arrunada in Asturias for 45,000 euros ($62,000). Christie has spent the past four years restoring the main house, located amid green pastures some 30 kilometres south of the Atlantic coat. He hopes to move in at the end of the year. "I wanted to flee the stress of London. This was just a bunch of ruins. But I would never be able to buy something similar in England," he said. "It is a very pretty region. People are very nice. There is a real quality of life," he added. Britons are among the foreigners who have shown the most interest in buying Spain's abandoned hamlets. But Norwegians, Americans, Germans, Russians and even Mexicans have also made purchases, said real estate agent Jose Armando Rodil Lopez. "In general, once you cross the barrier of 80,000 euros, the potential buyers are foreigners," he explained during a tour of the hamlet of Pena Vella, also in the Asturias. The hamlet, which is on sale for 62,000 euros, is made up of five stone houses with slate roofs surrounded by pine and eucalyptus trees. "A family used to live here. Some of them made knives, others were carpenters and farmers," said Rodil Lopez. The village of Barrerios, near Pontevena is just one of 2,900 villages which lie abandoned in rural Spain and are being sold off for knock-down prices +9 Similar villages in the same region are being sold for as little as £50,000 which includes a three-bedroom main house along with five other buildings +9 At £50,000 the whole village costs £200,000 less than the average house in the UK, and £350,000 less than the average flat in London +9 Another village is being sold online for £75,000, the same price as a parking garage in Battersea or a two-bedroom bungalow in Bognor Regis These pictures show the village of Pena Vella, near Pontenova, one of many similar clusters of homes that are now being sold. A similar village in the same area is being sold for just £50,000 and comes with a three-bedroom main house, five other buildings, a fresh-water spring, and 140,000sqft of farmland. According to estate agent Rafael Canales there are around 2,900 empty villages in rural Spain, the majority of which are bought by middle-class couples in their 50s or 60s looking for somewhere quiet for their retirement. Take the example of British father-of-two Neil Christie who bought the hamlet of Arrunada in an idyllic corner of rural north west Spain. Even after he has totally renovated the four dilapidated properties, he expects to have spent no more than £140,000 on the project. He and his wife have moved from their former home in Cumbria and are now staying in a nearby village where Mrs Christie works as a schoolteacher, while Mr Christie spends his time renovating their future home. +9 British pensioner Neil Christie bought a village last year an expects to spend just £140,000 renovating it for him and his wife to live in during their retirement +9 The villages, some of which have been owned by the same families for generations, were abandoned during the financial crash as they headed to cities to find work +9 A map shows the extent of the abandoned properties across rural Spain which are being snapped up for knock-down prices, 8- per cent of which go to foreign investors Even the most expensive village on his books, Ribadero, will set the buyers back just £372,000, roughly £25,000 less than the average London flat. Spain was one of the worst-affected countries in the recession, with unemployment surging 20 per cent in the aftermath of the crash, and today more than 5million people are still without a job. Mr Canales added that families who fled to larger towns in order to earn money are often loath to return to the country because it is viewed as taking a step backwards. +9 Spain's economy was one of Europe's worst-hit during the financial crash as unemployment surged 20 per cent. Even today more than 5million people are without jobs +9 The abandoned homes are being sold now because the families cannot pay the upkeep or know they will never be able to afford to return   Inside the haunted cottage with tragic past which has been left to rot with more than 300 years of valuables...clothes, pictures, clocks all left untouched Last owner of Old Crow Cottage, in Willersley, Herefordshire, was tragically killed last year David Edward Penny, 72, died in a car crash on the road outside the house in October, 2013 Locals claim to have seen lights flickering inside the cottage, leading to rumours that the cottage is haunted The Grade II-listed cottage was built in the 17th century and had been a village pub The haunting signs of lives once lived still echo from every room in this long-abandoned ramshackle ruin. Old Crow Cottage, a Grade II listed building, now stands eerily abandoned since 2009 - the clothes, pictures and other remnants from former inhabitants are untouched and lying under a thick layer of dust. New photographs from inside the dilapidated cottage, in Willersley, Herefordshire, reveal the eerie atmosphere within the building which would once have been a family home. Decrepit: Old Crow Cottage was abandoned since 2009 and has been left to rot ever since +22 Eerie: A coat lies on top of a pile of rubbish and fallen masonry in one of the haunting pictures taken inside one of the rooms +22 Timewarp: Little has changed inside the run-down 300-year-old Old Crow Cottage Over the last few years, locals have even reported to have seen lights flickering inside the cottage, leading to rumours that the cottage might be haunted. The last occupant was killed in a car crash on the road outside the home. Urban explorer Dan Circa ventured inside after reading about its history online. Dan, 28, from Manchester says: 'The cottage has been in the same family for many years and it looks like each generation has filled the house with their possessions.' 'Inside, there was everything you would find in a family home - from old photographs and clothes to beds and clocks. 'The longer I was inside the cottage the atmosphere felt more and more oppressive.' +22 Memories: The building which was a family home for many years still holds some of the trinkets and photographs collected by its former residents +22 Atmospheric: Old Crow Cottage is in a state of disrepair but any prospective buyer would have to overcome the haunting atmosphere within the building if they were to renovate it +22 Past: Old photographs left inside the abandoned 'Old Crow Cottage' hint at a bygone past when the building would have been a fine family home A HISTORIC BUILDING WITH A TRAGIC PAST The Old Crow Cottage can be found in historic records dating to as early as 17th century. It appears the building was a pub or inn under a series of difference names. But a local newspaper reports from 1841 show the occupant at the time was a Mr James Matthews. But the 1851 census the owner had changed to Thomas Phillpots and his family. Two years after the census, tragedy struck the Philpotts family with the death of their eldest son Thomas, aged 33, on 22 October 1853. Details of the occupants through much of the 19th century are sketchy. But the last person thought to have lived in the Old Crow Cottage was David Edward Penny, 72, who died on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013, after his car collided with a lorry on the road outside the house. The crumbling cottage consists of seven rooms - one entirely burnt out from a fire and another completely collapsed. Upstairs in one of the bedrooms, lay discarded clothes and empty shoe boxes - in another hangs framed portraits of what could have been residents who once inhabited the home. Newspaper editions from the 1960s lay strewn across the burnt out floors offering a flashback to the past. Dan says: 'I'm not a huge believer in ghosts, but at one point a small ornament fell over, as if it was pushed quickly. 'The cottage really is on its last legs, very structurally unsafe and could fall any day now.' Built in the seventeenth century and originally named 'The Old Crow', the cottage has had many uses over the years. Initially, the cottage was part of a farm, and then the property became a pub called 'The Crow Inn'. Years later the pub was closed and the cottage turned into a mini brewery where beers and ciders were produced. More recently, the cottage provided a backdrop to a horrific car accident that saw a 72-year-old man tragically killed in October 2013. The victim of the crash is believed to be one of the cottage's last remaining residents named David Edward Penny. According to local historical records, Mr Penny lived at the cottage with his two brothers Philip and John, but has since lay abandoned. Dan says: 'I hope the cottage and the objects inside can be saved. 'The vast history is amazing and it should not be left to rot. 'I hope the current owner can fully restore it one day. 'The main reason I started urban exploring is because I love to capture the beauty that can be found in decaying buildings and objects inside.' Inside the Crooked Cottage. Home abandoned in the 1950s Inside eerie abandoned paper mill untouched for over a decade Watch video INSIDE the abandoned St Edward's Catholic boys' home Watch video Ghost town! Take a look at Izu's abandoned jungle park... Watch video Haunting scenes inside an abandoned Greek leper colony Watch video The largest shopping mall in the world, China's abandoned mall +22 Glimpse at a former life: Urban explorer Dan Circa ventured into the eerie interior of the old abandoned cottage to take a series of haunting images +22 Forgotten: The abandoned building would have once echoed to the sound of children laughing and playing with their toys - now unloved and gathering dust +22 Faith: A sign reading 'The Lord is my strength' still hangs above one of the beds inside the crumbling ruing of Old Crow Cottage +22 Abandoned: Old Crow Cottage in Willersley, Herefordshire, has been the scene of a number of tragedies during its 200 year history +22 Undergrowth: Ivy and other creepers have found a home amongst the detritus from former residents of Old Crow Cottage +22 Sings of those who once made a home in Old Crow Cottage still litter the interior - including cupboards full of cups and saucers +22 Ghostly: A dressing table, including a comb and mirror, have been left to gather dust in one of the bedrooms of Old Crow Cottage +22 Decoration: A few pictures cling to the flaking walls of Old Crow Cottage in Willersley, Herefordshire +22 Dated: Old moisturiser bottles left inside the abandoned 'Old Crow Cottage', in Willersley, Herefordshire, hark back to a bygone era +22 Echoes: Tucked amongst the cobwebs and dusty light bulbs is a portrait of a young boy who may once have played in the eerie corridors of the Old Crow Cottage +22 Inhospitable: Until just four years ago the Old Crow Cottage was a home to people but it has now been left to rot +22 Signs of life: Commemorative Royal mugs sit on the cupboard shelve behind a thin screen of cobwebs +22 A day in time: A local newspaper gives a snapshot of life inside the abandoned Old Crow Cottage, located in Willersley, Herefordshire +22 Revealing: Wedding and family photographs tell the story of those who once called the eerie and now abandoned Old Crow Cottage home +22 Recollection: An old Daily Express newspaper sits among a pile of old photographs and flaking interior inside the abandoned Old Crow Cottage, in Willersley, Herefordshire +22 Winston Churchill adorns the cover of The Sunday Times colour section in one of the many newspapers collected by the Old Crow Cottage's inhabitants BRITAIN'S MOST HAUNTED B&B WHERE TERRIFIED GUESTS HAVE JUMPED OUT OF WINDOWS Anyone contemplating reviving The Old Crow's past as a guest house might be able to trade on its ghostly past. But it would have to some way to vying with The Ancient Ram Inn for the title of Britain’s most haunted B&B. The guesthouse, in the village of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, is believed to be riddled with up to 20 spectres who torment the paying punters of the 12th century home. Built on an ancient pagan burial ground - and also believed to be the scene of child sacrifices and devil worship - the Cotswolds cottage is haunted by the likes of a murdered young girl called Rosie, a high priestess, and even a male sex demon, known as an incubus. The strange goings on include a blood-curdling child’s scream, ‘electrified’ wooden beams, and even the touch of an invisible force. Caroline Humphries, whose family has lived in the Ram Inn for nearly 50 years, said: 'My father won’t go anywhere without his Bible.' But despite its ghoulish reputation, Ms Humphries is inundated with visitors who are desperate to spend a night in Britain’s spookiest lodgings, which were built in 1145 and costs between £25 and £30 per night. Past guests have fled from the house in the middle of the night after claiming to have seen furniture flying around the bedrooms, visions of a little girl wandering the hallways, and have even been pushed down onto a bed by a randy incubus.

More desolate than Siberia: Haunting pictures capture Spain's tiny Molina de Aragon, the least-populated place in Europe Near Molina de Aragon in Central Eastern Spain, there are only 1.63 inhabitants for every square kilometre Experts warn that this number may even be too high, since the census took place several years ago 41% of the region is aged 65 and older, while teenagers and children make up just eight percent of the population The region of Molina de Aragon, in Spain, is as barren as it is beautiful. Since the 1950s and continuing through to today, the process of de-industrialisation and de-population has left behind a vast region of Central Eastern Spain that is infamous for its staggeringly low number of inhabitants. In fact, there are so few people who live in these particular municipalities that the area now competes with Siberia and the Arctic provinces of Lapland as the least populated zone in Europe.  +13 Spanish photographer, David Ramos, captured images of the de-industrialisation and de-population occurring in Central Eastern Spain Despite the barren landscape, agriculture and ranching remain the main economic sources all around the vast region. The square footage of the underpopulated Central region is as large as Austria, and just two hours drive from Madrid. Quickly becoming known as Europe's largest desert - at least in terms of population - the area is made up of the provinces of Soria, Guadalajara, Teruel and Cuenca. And the population that remains is aging. Currently, 41 percent of the whole population is over 65 years of age, while a shocking eight per cent is under the age of 15.  +13 Three crosses are seen outside the village of Luzon near Molina de Aragon, Spain, which is the least populated zone in Europe +13 Here, a mastiff sits among sheep as they graze near the village of Codes, which is also near Molina de Aragon, Spain +13 An abandoned house is spotted in the village of Iruecha, where agriculture and ranching are the main economic sectors in the region +13 Felix Martinez, aged 75, poses for a portrait as he lops apple trees near the village of Rillo de Gallo, near Molina de Aragon, in Spain +13 Mari Angeles Moreno and her son Juan Romero wait for the school bus outside the village of Selas so that Juan can travel 68 km to class Juan Romero, for example, is the only boy in the village of Selas, a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara. The school is Selas was shut down in 1974 and moved to Molina de Aragon, which is the largest village in the region, with a population of 3,706. Every weekday, Juan has to travel 68 km to get to school. According to official figures, the area has 1.63 inhabitants for every square kilometre, compared to the 1.8 of Laponia and 3 inhabitants for every square kilometre in Siberia. However, Javier Munoz, the former mayor of Selas, points out that these figures could be even lower than suggested because the official census does not represent the actual population of the villages.  +13 The vast, barren landscape is hauntingly beautiful outside the village of Luzon in Central Eastern Spain +13 A mare looks on in the village of Selas, Spain, which, as of 2012, had a population of just 63 inhabitants +13 A woman wearing a mask poses for a portrait as she takes part in a carnival in the village of Luzon in Spain +13 A frozen pond, surrounded by rows of trees and coarse, tall grass is pictured outside the village of Iruecha +13 Margarita, aged 64, poses at her store in the village of Anquela del Ducado, having decided to shut it down after more than 70 years open +13 Here, a worker cleans the forest near the village of Cobeta, where the municipality is home to just 108 inhabitants +13 Women play cards at the old schools of the village of Anquela del Ducado, where 41% of the population is over the age of 65 The series of photographs were captured by Barcelona-based artist, David Ramos. Ramos is well versed in capturing diverse populations, having worked on projects in Israel, Japan, Lebanon and Kosovo, among others. He's also been awarded with top international prizes for his work, such as the World Press Photo and Feature of the Year by Getty Images.     The ghost of seaside holidays past: Inside abandoned hotel that was a hit in the 1930s but forced to close due to falling visitor numbers Built in 1938, the Royal York Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight was once a popular destination for wealthy tourists It was forced to close in 2006 after decades of declining visitor numbers, and has stood empty ever since At one time the Art Deco stylings of this abandoned hotel would have been the height of fashion - but now the building stands as a crumbling monument to another era. Built in 1938, the deserted Royal York Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight quickly became a popular destination for high-society holiday-makers but was forced to close in 2006 due to a dwindling number of guests. Today the hotel stands ruined and abandoned, but retaining the same period features that made it popular. Urban explorer Darren Finch, 26, went inside the dilapidated but 'beautiful and spooky' building to take these stunning photographs. 'It was really nice to walk around thinking of all the families who must have good memories of happy times there... But at times the old corridors made the hotel look like a scene from The Shining,' he said. Despite being a fixture on the Ryde skyline for more than 75 years, the building may not be around much longer as a recent application details proposals to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats.   History: The Royal York Hotel's kitchen appears to be crumbling after half a decade of neglect. The historic building was built in 1938 to replace a Victorian hotel of the same name. At the time the Isle of Wight was a very popular holiday destination +15 Garish: In the 1970s the hotel underwent re-modelling to appeal to younger customers, despite the fact that many were by then choosing to holiday abroad +15 Protected: So many classic 1930s Art Deco features remain inside the hotel that it was registered as a grade II listed building in 1998 +15 Empty: Towards the end of its life the Royal York Hotel was only open during the summer, before it finally closed down forever in 2006 Video tour inside the abandoned Royal York hotel   +15 Forgotten: An old wheelchair sits in the ballroom in the abandoned Royal York Hotel on the Isle of Wight. The hotel closed its doors for the final time in 2006 +15 Dirty: Plates, some of them still unwashed, are piled high in the hotel's now filthy restaurant kitchen. Plaster has started falling from the ceiling in the room +15 Future: Despite being a fixture on the Ryde skyline for over 75 years, the Art Deco building may not be around much longer as a recent application details proposals to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats +15 Memories: As these old framed advertisements testify, the Royal York Hotel was once a popular destination for high-society holiday-makers in the 1930s +15 Stunning: The hotel boasted an impressive, if a little dated, spiral staircase. The stairs are it by a glass skylight and tall curved windows +15 Classic: Although the hotel stands ruined and abandoned, it retains many of the Art Deco features that made it incredibly popular in the 1930s +15 Abandoned: The hotel features a derelict terraced lounge bar and restaurant, a games rooms (pictured) and three floors of bedrooms +15 Past: A collection of photo negatives found inside the hotel show guests visiting in the 1970s. Urban explorer Darren Finch, 26 said he enjoyed walking around the building thinking of all the families who must have good memories of happy times there +15 New life: The hotel has stood empty since it closed in 2006. A recent application details a proposal to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats +15 Dated: An old-fashioned umbrella rests on a 1970s-style chair inside the abandoned Royal York Hotel. The hotel was at its busiest in the 1930s +15 The view: The Royal York Hotel overlooks a small pier and has stunning sea views - even on a depressingly grey and rainy day