Ryton-on-Dunsmore farm house has stood untouched since the 1940s

Home Top

$Participants walk along Market Street in the annual LGBT Pride Parade to begin in San Francisco on June 30, 2013. Hundreds of thousands turned out to celebrate diversity, the Supreme Court decisions, and the resumption of gay marriages in the state of California. UPI/Terry Schmitt / eyevine\n\nContact eyevine for more information about using this image:\nT: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709\nE: info@eyevine.com\nhttp://www.eyevine.com$ Same-sex marriage is legal nationwide: Jubilant scenes across the US as Obama calls Supreme Court ruling 'a victory for America'
Baseball's first openly gay player makes debut - and history - by pitching in California game
'Love won': Ellen, Tim Cook and Neil Patrick Harris lead celebrities' jubilant reactions to same-sex marriage decision
Obama calls gay activist live on TV to congratulate him on Supreme Court ruling
SLAUGHTERED ON SUN LOUNGERS: Boy, 16, 'saw his parents and grandmother' killed by terrorists during Tunisian beach massacre which left 28 dead
Suicide bomb rips through Kuwaiti mosque after Friday prayers killing at least 25 worshippers as ISIS claims responsibility
The sex slaves of slaughter city: Girls as young as nine forced to have sex with ISIS jihadis who treat them as a sick reward for savagery
ISIS carries out one of its 'worst massacres' in Syria within 24 hours of re-entering Kobane as 120 civilians are killed by snipers and rockets
Severed head left on a spike in terror attack at US-owned factory in France: Man decapitated and his body covered in Arabic writing by ISIS-linked terrorist who stormed in and injured dozens with 'gas bombs'
Would you get Botox in your SCALP to emulate the Duchess of Cambridge's glossy locks? Surge in women trying quirky treatment for frizz-free hair
How the order you eat your food affects your health: Eating protein and veg BEFORE carbs makes you fuller for longer and could help diabetics control their blood sugar
Have POLICE found the Holy Grail? Wooden relic thought by some to be Christ's chalice is recovered a year after it was stolen by burglars
Fox News fires pill-addicted Bob Beckel and issues scathing statement criticizing him for taking 'tremendous advantage of our generosity'
Devastated daughters of pastor killed by Dylann Roof put on a brave face as thousands join them at funeral in Charleston
Did Charleston massacre want to kill MORE people? Dylann Roof told cops in March he wanted to buy an AR-15 assault rifle, but couldn't afford it
EXCLUSIVE: Tear off the white hood - Obama wants KKK to be forced to name its members and supporters after Charleston church massacre
Charleston police officer fired after posting photo on Facebook of him smiling and wearing Confederate flag boxer shorts
'Hate crimes are the original terrorism': US Attorney General Loretta Lynch compares Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to ISIS radicals
Should Gone with the Wind be banned? Anger at confederate symbols turns on classic movie as writer tweeting original book line by line gets shunned
Wife of financier accused of pressuring young model assistant into sex breaks down in court as she admits allowing her husband to pay rent on intern's swanky apartment
Donald Trump calls for boycott of Hispanic broadcaster after threatening to sue the company for 'hundreds of millions' for dumping Miss USA pageant over Mexican immigrant 'racist rant'
American company targeted in the France terror attack, ramps up security worldwide
EXCLUSIVE: Are these bits of metal proof that Amelia Earhart died after being captured by the Japanese on remote Pacific atoll - and the U.S. government KNEW but covered it up?
$Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX Shutterstock (4881362n)\n Sofia Vergara\n Magic Mike XXL film premiere, Los Angeles, America - 25 Jun 2015\n \n$ Sofia Vergara mobbed by pro-life protesters at Magic Mike XXL premiere ...begging the actress to give her frozen embryos 'a chance of survival'

Grange Farm in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire is full of antique furniture and other possessions
The nine-bedroom home, attached to 115 acres of farmland, was bought by the Newton family in the 1940s
Siblings Jack and Audrey continued to live there until they died but consistently rejected modern innovations
The contents of the home are now being auctioned off because the pair did not have any close relatives

Published: 07:58 EST, 25 June 2015 | Updated: 12:11 EST, 25 June 2015

1.1k

View
comments

The entire contents of a farmhouse which has been unchanged for seven decades are going up for sale after the death of its elderly owner.

More than 500 items which have been used continuously since the 1940s will be sold at auction this weekend, providing a look at a bygone era which has now almost totally vanished.

Grange Farm, in Warwickshire, was home to farmer Jack Newton and his sister Audrey for around 70 years.

Scroll down for video

Frozen in time: This is the living room of a home in Warwickshire which has barely changed since the 1940s

Leisure: Antique tennis rackets and balls are pictured on a table alongside an old-fashioned barometer for predicting the weather

Musical: The house's piano boasts sheet music which dates back 90 years, as well as an early collection of Disney songs

Outdated: The decor in the living room has not been updated for several decades

Home: Nine-bedroom Grange Farm will be sold following the death of its 90-year-old owner, Jack Newton

The devoted siblings never married and rejected nearly all modern innovations, preferring to live in the way they did when they moved in to the house with their parents in the 1940s.

The family farmed the 115 acres attached to the home in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, but never updated the furniture or gadgets inside the nine-bedroom house.

Intriguing items inside included a wartime amputation kit, an old-style television as well as musical sheets and instruments from the 1920s.

Other historic items included an organ and old-fashioned film cameras and binoculars.

A look inside Grange Farm house, unchanged since 1940

Kitchen: The cooking area has an old-fashioned stove and a set of pans that were obviously built to last

Arrival: The hall contains shabby armchairs and well-worn tiles along with the vintage wallpaper

Timewarp: The pantry contains china and tins which clearly date back several decades

Precious: Among the items being sold off at auction on Saturday are several pairs of cufflinks from now-defunct jewellers

Collection: Necklaces made of gold and precious stones were apparently owned by Audrey Newton

Games: Darts made in the early 20th century are among the simple toys owned by the siblings

Haul: There is a broad range of games dating back decades available to buy as part of the auction

A packed games room with 'match darts' and a jigsaw puzzle made by the now defunct board game company Waddingtons could also be found in the house.

Amongst the jewellery collection were expensive cufflinks from Cobleys and Carters in London, and kitchen items ranged from 1930s china sets to 1960s cocktail glasses.

Audrey died in 2011, and former RAF serviceman Jack passed away in March this year at the age of 90 - leaving no close relatives to inherit the estate.

The house's contents are therefore being auctioned off on Saturday by Howkins and Harrison, after an open house today tomorrow.

All of the fittings and fixtures are being auctioned separately including the original cupboards, beds, sinks and kitchen utensils.

Formal: The dining room, which also contains a drum kit, is set up for an elaborate dinner party

Sleeping arrangement: One of the nine bedrooms in the house, all of which hark back to a simpler time

Simple: Another bedroom, with a chamber pot pictured in the bottom left corner of the image

Belongings: Items such as a stuffed fox in a glass case and a vintage typewriter are available for purchase by the public

Laborious: The family evidently preferred to mend clothes using a sewing machine to paying a tailor to do it

Farmers: Jack Newton, left, and his sister Audrey, right, pictured looking after their pigs at Grange Farm

Owners: Mr and Miss Newton, neither of whom ever married, have both died in the past few years

The empty farmhouse will then be placed on the market later this year, with an estimated price of £600,000.

Pat Ruck, who has been helping the executors of the Newtons' will organise the auction, said: 'The house contents have not been touched since their late parents' time.

'It's a timewarp of interesting items, curiosities, and even war memorabilia. Although they never married, they had an interesting life. It is really the end of a bygone era.'

Neighbour Shane Morris, 58, who moved in to look after the siblings towards the end of their lives, added: 'It is an old person's house but they never threw anything away.

Pantry: The food storage room does not appear to have a fridge and instead relies on natural methods of keeping food fresh

Passion: Audrey was a great lover of music and would invite musicians who were in the area to stay at the house

Visitors: One of the guest bedrooms, decorated with crocheted quilts on the solid wooden beds

Companions: A pair of very old teddy bears sitting on a chair in one of Grange Farm's bedrooms

Collection: A number of threadbare dolls are also among the many lots going up for auction

Fashion: Silk handkerchiefs line up in a row in one of the main bedrooms

'Even before recycling came in they were very conscientious people and kept everything.

'Jack was in the RAF during the war and he was a master of all trades, he did a lot. They had cattle and pigs and as they got older they sold the animals off but still farmed the land.

'They were very private people but they were very nice and caring to their friends and they stuck by you. They were like parents to me and my wife and we might bid on a few of the items to keep as mementoes.'

Auctioneer Stuart Long said: 'I've been doing this for nearly 40 years and it's the most interesting one I have ever seen.

Comfortable: The furniture may not have been replaced for some time but it is still perfectly serviceable

Ornament: Two jugs in the shape of a man and an owl are included in Saturday's auction

Dresser: Hand-held mirrors and a beauty kit still look as they would have done decades ago

Equipment: Antique binoculars sitting on the shelf of Grange Farm

Entrance: One of the doors into the home where the Newtons lived and kept their farm

Garden: Pictured is the back yard as well as the home's outhouses behind the main building

'The siblings only lived in one or two rooms of the house so we have laid all the items out how we think they look best in every room.

'There is an interesting musical collection and a lot of the things in the sale were found in the attic and had been put away 30 years ago. There will be a lot of curiosity and interest in the auction.'

The house has also played host to actors who were performing at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, because of Audrey's love of music.

Phantom of the Opera and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em star Michael Crawford stayed at the farm with the Newtons during the 1960s.