It was built before Victoria took the throne and survived her reign and both world wars all but untouched.">

The house time forgot

by Adam Nichols

It was built before Victoria took the throne and survived her reign and both world wars all but untouched.

Behind the doorway of this house near Easingwold it is as if you have entered a time-warp which takes you back to life 166 years ago, when it was built by the Rowley family.

The original range, coppers for washing and a rare concession to the twentieth century, a 1935 Aga, are some of the unique selling points of the house which has been put on the market for the first time in its history.

The death of a Mrs Abel, the last in a long line of owners from a family who lived in the house since the turn of the century, brought the end of an era.

John Lightowler, of Charles Lightowler Estate Agents, in Easingwold, who has never sold a house which has not been sold before in his 25 years as an estate agent said: "It is absolutely incredible to come across a house like this.

"A lot of houses with this much history have lost many of their original features but this house has had nothing taken out.

"The old range is still there and the copper for doing the washing and the Aga has been in the house since the 1930s.

"And there's a Welsh dresser, which has been there virtually since the day the house was built."

The house seems likely to welcome new owners very soon, as it has had 16 people coming to view it in only eight days.

"Basically the family had come to the end of the line of those willing to take the house over, so it went on the market," said Mr Lightowler.

"It is an absolutely delightful building, quite suitable for habitation straight away, but a lot of the mod cons that are a feature of modern houses are absent.

"Things like new kitchens and central heating only became fashionable in the '60s, and people of Mrs Abel's generation just didn't see the need for them."

The new owners, who Mr Lightowler cannot name until contracts have been finalised, are said to have paid more than £200,000 for the property.

"I can virtually quote them as saying: 'It's a privilege to be able to acquire a house with a past like this,'" said Mr Lightowler.

"The house has stood still in time to quite a large extent and, as far as I understand, its new owners intend to make any changes

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