The couple sold everything to take on the ambitious restoration of Duncombe House. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries)
Police called after discovery of century-old gunpowder
Two years ago, a couple made the extraordinary decision to sell almost everything they owned and buy a 300-year-old abandoned English country mansion in Staffordshire. The couple documented their two-year restoration journey at 300-year-old Duncombe House in Staffordshire. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries) One of the biggest restoration projects involved the mansion’s distinctive bay windows. The couple said the windows required more than 1,000 hours of work, with rotten sections cut out and replaced before years of accumulated paint were removed from the intricate timberwork. Historical research suggested the message was left by John and Elizabeth Green, who lived at Duncombe House more than 150 years ago. They also discovered swords hidden behind walls, Victorian stained-glass windows, abandoned artwork and books dating back around 200 years. One of their most remarkable discoveries was a hand-painted map of Duncombe House and its surrounding estate dating to 1840. The owners also discovered architectural details hidden beneath vegetation, including 500-year-old scrollwork and a stone laid by Lady Florence Duncombe in 1896. The 300-year-old Duncombe House revealed hidden treasures as the couple restored the property. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries) The mansion’s first winter proved particularly difficult. When the owners sought quotes for specialist lime plastering, they were reportedly faced with estimates of around £70,000.
Rather than throwing everything away, they packed the contents into a large shipping container they called the “container of curiosities”, allowing them to preserve the items while urgent repairs were carried out. The owners said officers ultimately decided not to arrest them after establishing the circumstances surrounding the discovery. What followed was a painstaking restoration filled with hidden treasures, collapsing ceilings, mushrooms growing from walls, forgotten rooms, Victorian artefacts and even a visit from police after the owners discovered a stash of century-old gunpowder. Duncombe House had been neglected for years when the couple took possession of the property. The mansion had suffered from a major flood, while damp and decay had left parts of the building in serious disrepair. The new owners, who have documented their painstaking restoration journey on their YouTube channel, Duncombe House Diaries, sharing their discoveries, challenges and progress with viewers, quickly discovered that the estate was much larger than the main house. Alongside Duncombe House were a derelict Victorian greenhouse, an ancient orchard, a gardener’s bothy, a coaching house, an annexed billiard room and a wash house – all containing traces of the property’s past. They soon realised the scale of the challenge. The property was filled with furniture, books, documents, Victorian safes and other possessions left behind by previous occupants. The house was also desperately in need of heat. Both boilers were unusable, while the original cast-iron radiators were no longer functioning. The owners eventually installed a large log burner, restored the fireplaces and unblocked the chimneys to begin drying out the damp building. They then began removing rotten wallpaper and wood, tackling the mushrooms and working to make the exterior watertight. The original front door was also stripped, sanded and repainted in Duncombe House’s original green colour. Its historic lock was carefully restored. The restoration uncovered something particularly personal hidden within one of the bay windows: a message etched into the corner reading, “May God’s blessing rest on us in this house. The couple uncovered old maps, books, furniture and other forgotten treasures inside the mansion. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries) As the couple worked their way through the property, they discovered an extraordinary collection of objects that had remained hidden for decades. Among their finds were stamp collections, diaries, books, photographs, toys, sports equipment, 1920s records, antique tools, tea sets, travel chests and Victorian tabletop games. Elsewhere, they found a perfectly intact Minton tile floor in the greenhouse, a forgotten staircase and a loft in the coach house that appeared to preserve a snapshot of Victorian life. The restoration also led to an unexpected encounter with police. the owners discovered boxes containing old black gunpowder While clearing the property. The discovery was filmed and shared online, including footage of the historic powder being ignited. Police subsequently arrived at the property. The episode became one of several dramatic moments during the restoration, which also included a burglary and multiple weather-related setbacks. Despite lighting fires throughout the property, temperatures became so low that ice formed on the inside of the windows. The house still had no functioning central heating, making even basic tasks difficult. The restoration also became increasingly expensive. Unable to afford the cost, they undertook heritage training and began learning traditional lime-plastering techniques themselves. They eventually stripped much of the house back to its original brick and stone and began rebuilding the walls using traditional materials suited to the historic property. The demanding work eventually resulted in a serious injury.
Duncombe House had stood abandoned before the couple took on its ambitious restoration. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries) When the couple first received the keys, they had spent only about four minutes inside Duncombe House and had never explored its outbuildings.
After spending around 11 and a half hours in hospital, they were told that several important tendons and ligaments had been torn and that at least two months of complete rest would be required. They also used their growing platform for charity, raising more than £2,000 for the Salvation Army through a Christmas card campaign. one of the owners fell from a platform and injured an ankle While working on the bay windows after a long day. The recovery lasted only around four hours before work resumed. The restoration continued, with the couple repairing floors and ceilings, insulating parts of the house, fixing leaks and continuing work on the coach house. The project also unexpectedly transformed the couple’s online presence. After documenting their restoration journey, their social media accounts went viral, eventually attracting more than one million Instagram followers. The owners began sharing their discoveries and restoration work online, turning the ambitious renovation into a continuing story followed by a large audience. From an abandoned mansion to a painstaking restoration, the couple are bringing Duncombe House back to life. (Photo: Duncombe House Diaries) After two years of restoration, the owners finally managed to install central heating. The moment the heating system was switched on marked a major turning point for the property, which had endured years of damp, cold and neglect. The original cast-iron radiators have been restored, while sheep’s wool insulation has replaced collapsed and damp fibreglass insulation in the loft. The couple have also restored an original cast-iron bath and begun working on antique furniture that will eventually return to the house. Despite the progress, much of Duncombe House remains unfinished. The wash house still needs restoration, the coach house requires renovation, the greenhouse needs work and numerous rooms remain unexplored. For the owners, however, the project is no longer simply about renovating an old house. Duncombe House has become a time capsule of English history, and every room, wall and forgotten outbuilding appears to have another story waiting to be uncovered. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
