Red Dress Manor has stood empty for almost 50 years, but the stunning four-bedroom home is far from being completely abandoned with personal belongings still inside
For nearly half a century, the Red Dress Manor has stood desolate… yet it’s far from vacant.
This striking four-bedroom house last heard the echo of human voices in the early 1970s, but it has never been truly empty since its last occupant, Ellen Jones, passed away.
Originally a dairy farm established in 1725, the property—officially known as Calcott Hall and located in Llanymynech, Powys, Mid Wales—is now referred to by locals as the Red Dress Manor.
The Grade Two listed building stands majestically in the countryside, but instead of being a lively family home, it is now merely a relic from a bygone era.
Following Ellen’s passing, all her belongings have remained untouched within the house.
Among these items is a red dress hanging from a wardrobe door, which lends the deserted house its nickname. However, this dress is just one of many remnants from a forgotten time.
Pictures of Ellen, including one of her wearing the red dress, still adorn the walls, partially covered with fading 1950s floral wallpaper.
Where the wallpaper has peeled off, the heavy stone walls hark back to the days when the dairy farm was first constructed.
Unread love letters and notes from friends litter the floor, their intimate messages lost to time for almost 40 years.
Family photographs line the fireplace, black and white images of people long gone, while dust blankets armchairs and their cushions.
Beds remain draped with their coverings whilst curtains continue to dangle from windows, many fractured and damaged as the natural world reclaims the property.
Tendrils snake across the walls, whilst foliage occupies loft spaces and floorboards where residents once walked.
Mundane traces of existence persist throughout the haunting dwelling, with detergent abandoned on kitchen surfaces, crockery, mugs and cookware all remaining within cupboards.
Within Ellen’s old bedroom, echoes of a distant era linger as her vanity table remains cluttered with cosmetic remnants, brushes and a mirror.
Light fixtures, shrouded in years of spider webs, and containers which previously held 19th century household cleaners, occupy occasional tables and shelving – all now coated in grime.
A television set from the 1960s, displaying no images or signals since the 1970s. Publications, brimming with headlines from decades past, are stacked within the lounge.
Photographer Dan Circa, hailing from Manchester, explored the property to document its ghostly splendour.
He said: “I heard stories of the manor and so wanted to investigate for myself.
“The picture of a lady in a red dress and the actual red dress still being there was particularly intriguing. I wanted to see what else was inside.
“I felt like I was in someone’s home uninvited, I expected the owner to walk round every corner I saw.
“When I climbed the stairs to enter the main bedroom, I opened the door and to the right there was a photo of the lady in the garment on her dressing table with all her makeup and other personal items on it.
“I then turned to the left and saw an open wardrobe with that red dress hung up, it was a very eerie feeling as if someone was there, and I thought it was her at first glance.”
Despite the property being vacant for such a long period, the previous occupant was identified as Ellen Jones, the same woman depicted in the red dress in one of the photos adorning the walls of the deserted house.
Dan expressed: “Because of how personal this particular urban exploration is, the main message is beauty in decay, as documenting things that someone once cared about or used is very important.
“People are amazed to see the pictures, especially when they see it~s a place with personal belongings in.”
