By Aimee Braniff Cree
**EXCLUSIVE**
STEP INSIDE the home of a WW2 veteran and his wife who lived and worked from their West Sussex home while hoarding salvaging vehicles.
Urban explorer Daniel Sims known as Bearded Reality on Instagram and Youtube came across the abandoned building which seems to be a graveyard for cars and porn magazines from the 80s.
One image shows a caterpillar truck overgrown with weeds while another shot shows a trilby hat carefully hung on the bannister while everywhere else in the house seems to have become a victim to hoarding.
A more provocative image shows a copy of Knave magazine that has been so valuable it is in a room on top of the clutter.
Daniel came across the house in West Sussex England he spent around two hours in the property and discovered a treasure trove.
“I only knew of this place having the Bedford trucks and some vehicles, so I was very happy and surprised that the place had everything left behind,” he said.
“I know very little of the previous owner. At some point, a couple resided there and they must have had a massive dealing with trucks so there are a good thirty plus stored there, mainly Bedfords.
“The place itself is very derelict, but has a lifetime of hoarding inside various items. It also seems the male owner served in World War II and traveled quite a bit.
“The site itself was wide open and seemed to have been left this way for quite some time, left and forgotten.
“Even though there is a neighboring house nearby we were very chilled out at this place as the space itself and property is quite hidden from prying eyes so you get to relax and have time to look at everything and decide what you would like to take photos of and focus on.
“Outside were some amazing Bedford Trucks left behind as well as various cars and other vans left decaying with a few in not-so-bad condition with a garage for repairing and sorting out various vehicles; however the main treasures were hidden within the house.
“As soon as you enter the property you are hit with the scale of hoarding in this place as everything is just stacked up which shows years of constant build-up which suggests to me it’s been left over a decade.
“I found some original signed pieces of lovely art hidden away and as you walked around saw various coats and suit jackets hung up. As you enter the living room you see that it is hard to navigate around it but I spotted some photos of the previous owners which were nice to see and connect with.
“The second living area had various mobility equipment suggesting it was an older person that owned the property probably in the late 70s – 90s and I saw various china and trinkets stored in the back of the room.
“Upstairs we found a bit of hidden vintage porn going back to the late 80s maybe early 90s and the bedroom was filled with personal items.
“What I found fascinating was the old photo albums and pictures from various places the guy served and a very special scrapbook filled with some political cartoons and funny porn scraps.
“The inside itself was so filled and looked partly ransacked; however, it was mainly just filled with so much stuff that it was difficult to get around.
“The house itself is in parts of disrepair and interestingly it looks like an extension was being built, however, the owner must have passed as it was never finished.
“The outside of the property is amazingly filled with so many vehicles collected over a lifetime and even a garage with cars being worked on so the previous owner definitely had a passion for cars and mechanics.
“There were also bits of farming equipment and a horse truck so maybe it was a partly working horse farm as well for breeding or racing perhaps.
“With shots like this firstly I love the natural decay and rust that surrounds the place and also love capturing what I feel is like a moment and place lost in time.
“The place itself seems to have been left between 10-15 years by some of the things that have been left behind but could be longer with loads of items and things dating as old as the early 1900s.
“Usually, I am very pleased and very critical of myself as I am wanting to capture the place and everything that is there and convey a sense of dereliction, loss, and abandonment.
“Other people love my work and are very supportive. There will always be people that do not understand what I do or what I am trying to achieve and I remind them I am just documenting breaking no laws and sharing what I see and find through my work.”
ENDS
