Back to nature... ‘nightmare’ house swallowed by ivy sells for £177,000
NEIGHBOURS have described the “nightmare” of living next to a Birmingham house that has been swallowed up by nature.
The end-of-terrace property, in Walkers Heath Road, Kings Norton, has been hidden by trees and ivy that have grown out of control for 40 years.
The house is now barely visible under thick foliage.
Residents have expressed their frustration at the empty “eyesore” house that has been a blot on the landscape.
However, the ordeal may now be over, after the three-bedroom property sold at auction for £177,000.
Vivienne Attwood, a mum-of-four and doctor’s receptionist who lives next door, said she hoped the new owners would clear up the property.
“It’s been a nightmare,” she said. “It’s like living next to West Midlands Safari Park.
“It’s good for wildlife but not for my guttering and roof. I’m worried about what it has done to the value of our houses too.
“My husband goes up on the ladders
and trims it back whenever it encroaches and luckily we’ve stopped it getting into our roof.
“We moved in 40 years ago and it was just allowed to grow and grow. The owner used to have somebody in to trim it back until about ten to 15 years ago, when it was left untouched.
“It has been allowed to completely take over the entire house. You can’t even really tell there’s a house there now.
“You get people walking by stopping in their tracks as they can’t quite believe it. It’s not every day you get a massive tree house in Birmingham.
“Although it attracted plenty of wildlife, it has attracted rats too so it’s not been nice.”
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, added: “It has looked an eyesore for years now. I can’t believe nobody has stepped in to do anything about it because it’s clearly a health hazard. Whoever takes it on has the ultimate gardening job on their hands. And who knows what damage has been done to the roof?”