The Potter's Mansion,
Steep Hill Farm.
This house in Crowborough, Sussex, was built in 1904 and designed (supposedly) by an architect named Hugh Jokin. It was owned by the Walford family. James Walford ran a shipbuilding business and was a potter and painter and appears to have published a book of orchid paintings in 1972, with additional prints of his wife's orchid paintings available for auction. His wife Muriel Walford grew the orchids that her husband painted, in the extensive grounds of the house.
The mansion is currently on the market for £2.5 million, with planning permission to demolish the house and build a new one and judging from the poor state of the place, this would probably be the kindest thing for it: the mansion is a mere shadow of its former oppulence.
As well as the mansion and the gardens, this site has extensive grounds and includes a pottery to the rear of the house, 4 or 5 large greenhouses and a piggery stocked with 2 large stys and outbuildings.
We had seen a lot of photos of this house before we found it and it looked incredible, with a great many artefacts of the lives of the people who had previously called this place home (many of which are still available to see, but as the house is not patrolled by security of any kind and exposed to the elements, they are gradually becoming more difficult to find, or are being damaged by people who come to the site just to cause damage). It was quite a shock to see how quickly it had deteriorated from the pictures we had seen, but there were still some quirky little finds around the place that made for some interesting photos.
We had seen a lot of photos of this house before we found it and it looked incredible, with a great many artefacts of the lives of the people who had previously called this place home (many of which are still available to see, but as the house is not patrolled by security of any kind and exposed to the elements, they are gradually becoming more difficult to find, or are being damaged by people who come to the site just to cause damage). It was quite a shock to see how quickly it had deteriorated from the pictures we had seen, but there were still some quirky little finds around the place that made for some interesting photos.
It is interesting to note that one of the most enduring legacies of this house and the family that owned it is, in fact, a punk video! The band "Anti-Nowhere League" filmed their video for the single "Mother, you're a Liar" almost entirely on location at the house. In one scene of the video, the lead singer is seen to spray the word "LIAR" on the wall of the upstairs bedroom and this image can be seen later in this report. The link to the video can be seen HERE on Youtube.
Agents present: ghost & skyframe.
-----=====*****=====-----
A Book of Orchids.
-----=====*****=====-----
-----=====*****=====-----
Pottery Kilns.
-----=====*****=====-----
Outside - The Garden and Pig Pens.
