Urban explorers have made a haunting discovery in Wigan, Lancashire, uncovering an abandoned six-bedroom home that appears eerily frozen in time from the 1970s. The property, which has been vacant since 2017, offers a poignant glimpse into a bygone era with its original decor and personal belongings left untouched for decades.
A Home Preserved in Time
Andrew and Courtney, the urban explorers behind the social media account urbexcoupleac, documented their exploration of this grade-II listed property. The 26-year-old explorers described walking into a living environment that seemed suspended in the mid-twentieth century, complete with patterned wallpaper, box televisions, and vintage Babycham bottles still sitting on shelves.
The Story of Jack and Synthia
Through evidence found throughout the house, the explorers pieced together the likely story of the previous occupants. They believe the home was owned by an elderly couple named Jack and Synthia who lived well into their nineties. Courtney, who hails from Leeds, expressed the emotional impact of discovering this abandoned family home.
"It's quite sad to see," Courtney reflected. "You walk into the living room and realise it's somebody's family home that was just left like that one day and never touched again. It's stayed that way ever since."
Decades of Personal History
The explorers found numerous personal artefacts that told the story of the couple's lives. They discovered birthday cards celebrating Synthia's 90th birthday and Jack's national service papers, alongside everyday items that created what Courtney described as a "time capsule" of 1970s Britain.
Evidence suggests Synthia passed away around 2012, leaving Jack to live alone in the substantial property until his own death in 2017. The last marked date on a calendar found in the house was February 15, 2017, providing a poignant endpoint to the home's inhabited history.
A House Frozen in Its Final Moments
The explorers noted particularly touching details that revealed Jack's final years in the property. They found a handwritten note on the wall reminding carers to turn off taps, suggesting he required assistance in his later years but remained in the family home until the end.
"Jack must have lived in one part of the house towards the end," Courtney observed. "It's like a time capsule, just frozen in time. A lot of the features in the house are from a long time ago. I think many older people didn't renovate very often, so it looks even older than its abandonment date suggests."
A Poignant Legacy
The condition of the property added to its haunting atmosphere. The garden had become completely overgrown, while inside, cleaning products and drinks remained exactly where they had been left. Even sweets from decades past were discovered, preserved alongside the couple's personal effects.
Courtney, who began urban exploring during the 2020 lockdown period, explained her fascination with such discoveries. "I love learning about homes, history and the lives of other people," she said. Yet this particular exploration carried a special emotional weight.
Reflecting on the couple's story, Courtney added a poignant observation: "They would have said on their wedding day 'til death do us part' and death did part them." The abandoned Wigan home now stands as both a historical artefact and a memorial to a marriage that lasted a lifetime, preserved in the very fabric of the building they shared for so many decades.
