Old Owners of your House Knocking In...

fofany · 01-09-2011 06:05PM

We bought our house in 1999. The previous family had lived there for about 40 yrs & had raised 8 children there. One of the sons & a granddaughter have called (on separate occasions) & we were more than happy to let them see around the house. Luckily the house was presentable on those days as they called unannounced! We even told them if any others in the family wanted to call, it wouldn't be a problem. It was lovely to hear some of the son's stories about the rooms (they had a maid from the local orphanage who used to live in one of the attic rooms & did all the housework:eek: & a bedroom kept especially for a priest who used to stay with them - yes it is a big house). Last year I met an elderly woman outside our house & she told me that she used to live next door. She really wanted to see inside, but was too afraid to knock on the door & wouldn't let me arrange it for her. She took a few photos & went off. I felt so sorry for her. She had lived in England for over 50 yrs & had come all the way to see the house, but missed seeing the inside. She'll probably never get the chance again.

GAAman · 01-09-2011 06:20PM

Not my family house in Dublin but here in derry. I was getting a tesco delivery one day to the house and was chatting with the old guy delivering them. Out of nowhere he says "That wall (which was in front of the house) is over 50 years old" i thought that was a bit random and asked how he knew. He showed me a there was a little chunk missing in the corner and told me he split his head open there around 50 years ago!

He had lived next door so i invited him in for a cuppa, he was amazed at how different the house was.

bijapos · 01-09-2011 06:22PM

charlemont wrote: »

My best friend (RIP to him) had lived for several years with his parents in a housing estate in Clonmel,............... , So he looked in the fridge and found a bottle of wine and went into the living room with a large bread knife trying to open the wine cork and then a female appeared at the door "What are you doing in my house" and my friend replies "What this is my house" till the penny dropped, Everyone got a great laugh out of it, Once the Gardaí found out they told him to bring her up a bottle of wine and flowers but she still brought him to court for it but im sure it was struck out.

She finds a totally stoned strange man in her sitting room at 4 am with a bread knife and has a laugh about it? I would have beaten the head off him with the hurley and asked questions a lot later. Guards and court sounds about right.

fofany wrote: »

We bought our house in 1999. The previous family had lived there for about 40 yrs & had raised 8 children there. One of the sons & a granddaughter have called (on separate occasions) & we were more than happy to let them see around the house. Luckily the house was presentable on those days as they called unannounced! We even told them if any others in the family wanted to call, it wouldn't be a problem. It was lovely to hear some of the son's stories about the rooms (they had a maid from the local orphanage who used to live in one of the attic rooms & did all the housework:eek: & a bedroom kept especially for a priest who used to stay with them - yes it is a big house). Last year I met an elderly woman outside our house & she told me that she used to live next door. She really wanted to see inside, but was too afraid to knock on the door & wouldn't let me arrange it for her. She took a few photos & went off. I felt so sorry for her. She had lived in England for over 50 yrs & had come all the way to see the house, but missed seeing the inside. She'll probably never get the chance again.

Anyone else putting 2+2 together here?

My great granduncle left Ireland around 1923, he took a different side in the Civil War to the rest of the family, went to the States and was rarely ever heard from again. Around 1990 his two daughters and a grand daughter showed up on our road looking for the house in a car they had hired with a driver.

My grand uncle still lived there, typical old style batchelor, there was electricity but only one outside tap, no jacks, turf and wood stacked up in the main room of the three roomed cottage.

The Americans refused to believe their father/grandfather had come from this place, said it was too "impoverished" and refused to come in. Seems my great grand uncle had made a fair few bob over there in carpets and they were not just very well off but very snobby to boot. Cnuts.

markok84 · 01-09-2011 06:29PM

A polish dude calls round to my house every so often to collect his tesco clubcard points and any other mail that comes through the letter box with polish names on it. I call him the reverse postman, he's interested in photography and drives a moped. Nice lad.

--LOS-- · 01-09-2011 06:41PM

Should have invited them in for a cuppa OP!
I rarely answer the door myself unless I'm expecting someone so doubt it would ever happen to me either.

irelandspurs · 01-09-2011 06:54PM

They were probably making sure you've not been digging in the back garden,Did he look like Joseph Fritzl ?

ejmaztec · 01-09-2011 06:55PM

I might be slightly suspicious if I were living in a brand-new house.

Archeron · 01-09-2011 07:00PM

If they look like the ghosts of angry native American Indians, dont open the door. That story never has a happy ending.

Riddle101 · 01-09-2011 07:06PM

Nope never had the former owners of my house call in. For some reason they mysteriously vanished just before my family moved in. No bodies or any trace of them whatsoever.

perfect crime

Novella · 01-09-2011 07:11PM

I was actually reading a book the other day in which the author mentioned calling around to houses she lived in as a child and having a chat with the current owners. It must be kinda common in America.

Has never happened to me though. No one else has owned my family home.

Stained Class · 01-09-2011 07:34PM

Back in the '80s I rented a house in London with a group of lads frm College.

Years later (2006) whilst on honeymoon we were driving thru London.

Of course I made a beeline for 55 Furness Road to see if it still existed.

Lo & behold, it was still there!

I didn't have the bottle to ring the bell, but I got my new wife to take a photo of myself outside the old gaff.

As to where I'm living now, no chance.

I bought it new.

x_Ellie_x · 01-09-2011 07:41PM

The previous occupant of my parent's house (where I grew up) asked my parents if she could buy it from them 20 years after moving away. My parents refused to sell it. The original owner then moved into a house in the street behind them. The woman 'Tracey' grew up in the house keeps knocking over every 6 months or so and asking if my mam & dad have changed their minds about selling. She's annoying my mam. I told my mam to tell the woman to fcuk off but my mam's too nice to. My parents don't answer the door to her anymore and they avoid her in the street whenever they see her. She's pissed my parents off so much that if they were selling the house, they'd ever sell it to her in a millions years. The house looks nothing like it did when Tracey lived in it. My parents have had walls knocked down and moved around over the years as we were growing up, the kitchen and sitting room have switched rooms, the bathroom been moved upstairs, there's an extension at the back. One of the previous owner's kids had carved his name all over the walls in every single room. My dad had to re-plaster the whole house because of that.

Old Owners of your House Knocking In...

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