A cottage left frozen in time for more than 100 years offers an eerie glimpse into the past, with newspapers dating back to the sinking of the Titanic still spread out on the table
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Eerie cottage left frozen in time with paper from Titanic sinking still on table
A time capsule cottage offers a glimpse into a long-forgotten past – filled with remnants from more than 100 years ago.
The untouched interior of the farmhouse, located in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, gives an idea of what rural life was really like a century ago – and the echoes can be felt in every room.
From newspaper pages dating back to 1911 to a pipe set down, half-smoked, the cottage seems a world away from the 21st century. Tins of food from the early 20th century remain unopened in the kitchen, right by a stove straight out of the history books.
The cottage was lived in right up until 2015 by the last of three brothers, who clearly went to great lengths to preserve their family history. After photographer Rebecca was invited to see the property, after the death of the final owner, she was left haunted by the eerie scenes that greeted her…
A man only identified as Dessie was the last to live there, leading ‘a solitary life among the relics of the past’ before moving into a home in 2015 and passing away two years later.
Rebecca, who runs a website called ‘Abandoned NI’ where she shares photos of the derelict houses she explores, was allowed in by the owner to get a record of the incredible space before it was knocked down to make way for a new build.
She said she was left gobsmacked by what she found, with old books, magazines, papers and photographs littered around the farm worker’s cottage and left untouched.
A clock on the mantelpiece is stuck showing 12.15, a pair of glasses are left ready to pick up and a rusted OXO tin has been left open, with two pocket watches stored inside.
Hundreds of handwritten letters fill the drawers, and three kettles are sat on the stove, next to a cup which appears to have been placed there just before it was abandoned.
Old books and newspapers including the Mid Ulster Mail from 1917 were left sitting in the living room which had been shut off for more than 50 years, alongside one newspaper which reported the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
Upstairs there remained rotting bedclothes, a bed pan on the floor and a flat cap left hanging on the end of a bedframe.
Rebecca said she initially wasn’t sure if the interior would be very interesting, but she has now created an exhibition based on the lives of Dessie and his family.
She said: “I have to admit I saw the outside and wasn’t sure if it was worth it. As soon as I opened the door I was blown away.
“I went into what I thought was a wee cottage and it’s basically a social history museum.”
The cottage first appeared on maps in 1858 and Rebecca began researching the family to help piece together the puzzle in all of the photographs.
After talking to people to find out more about Dessie, she said: “Among many things he was a fabulous cook, many friends still talk about his famous soda bread which he cooked over the original stove.
“He was a hearty farmer, milking cows to produce milk and butter. It was reported if you stayed for dinner in the house and you finished up, you were given another dinner for seconds. No one left with an empty stomach.”
One of the mysteries Rebecca was able to solve was personal items belonging to a man named Edwin McQueen, who she discovered was married to Dessie’s mum.
Edwin worked as a policeman, and a certificate from 1894 and a framed picture of him in his uniform were found in one of the bedrooms. Rebecca curated her own museum exhibit featuring the items, which went on show in Belfast and included two perfectly recreated rooms from the farmhouse.
She added: “Homes like this are the reason I love to photograph and document these buildings. There are so many places around the country just like this lying untouched and pretty soon they’ll be gone too and we’ll have no record of them being there.”
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