Crying my eyes out, new neighbour has just put all the beautiful period fretwork from his Edwardian house in the skip -smashed up!

[LoveMAFS]

I didn't even get a chance to rescue any of it... and it's nicer than mine, beautifully detailed. Why do people buy period houses and then strip them bare of what makes them special?

Gosh, given the week I’ve had, I wish I had that problem.

I'm with you OP.
Your new neighbours are obviously part of the grey neanderthal pack.

Aw that's sad

He is clearly a twatting vandal. Posters sneering at the OP are not doing themselves any favours.

I had a similar neighbour once. She had the most beautiful magnolia bush in her garden that smelt absolutely amazing and was universally admired by everyone in the street. A week after she moved it she ripped it out, dumped it in a skip and covered the space with planters full of artificial 'topiary' from B&Q...

No harm to you, but I did similar. I'm disabled and I don't have the ability to look after real plants. I'm not a vandal I'm just aware of my limitations

I’d be gutted too OP. I wouldn’t be crying (or shaking) but I’d think him an ignorant, thick, idiot.

I agree that some people don’t appreciate period properties. Why buy them and turn them into modern boxes. I would be upset too.

(Unless it couldn’t be saved due to woodworm or the like)

I loathe people who do things like that.

Brace yourself for grey windows and white rendering

It should be illegal (I kid, kind of). Why buy the bloody house if you are just going to strip it of it’s history.

@thedogsmababy

I get that. My Mum was in a similar situation. I would have just have loved the opportunity to have dug it up and tried to get it going in my garden. Or have taken a cutting.

(Plus, I'm probably bitter here - she turned out to be the absolute neighbour from hell. Karaoke at 3am on a weeknight was not unknown...)

Ugh! I’m totally with you OP. I hate it when people do this. Vandalism.

cravingtoblerone

New people moved in next to me and ripped all the roses and peonies out of the front garden. Two months later the peonies in my back garden were flowering and NDN expressed how stunning they were, what were they? Peonies said I, just like the ones you dug out of your front.

Now now there's no need to fret

🤣🤣🤣

i understand what you’re saying. Every time a property near us is sold the new owners do the same. They are going to look very 2020 flat boring and basically all the same very quickly. Gorgeous front gardens all stone too. I could have cried when I saw two wonderfully cared for gardens bulldozed with no chance to ask for a plant.

And what if I can't wonderfully care for a garden?

I'd be upset too. Maybe tell him you would be interested in any stuff he is chucking out before he smashed it up?

The people who bought my parents house ripped out the original solid wooden doors and chucked them in the skip. The neighbour rescued a few.

I'm with you, OP. Going on some of the replies on this thread, you'd think you'd gone over there and rebuked him soundly for making changes to his house.

I'm another who can't understand why people buy beautiful period places and then just rip everything out - it often seems that they really want a new-build, but somehow don't quite realise that new-builds exist everywhere....

There are obviously no more houses of that period being built anymore; I agree with PP that, although it might be your own house to do with what you want, a house is also something that is part of the village/town/city and much more than just the people who happen to own/live in it for one generation or less.

He would have just as much right to have bought it and turned it into an Air BnB specialising in stag and hen groups, or just bought it as a second home and used it for three weekends a year. I can't see people shouting "His house, his right to do what he likes with it; nothing to do with you" then, and berating you for daring to have an opinion on it.

(PP's are getting necessarily snarky at your hypothetical crying 🙄)

Is the place listed OP?

I'd be fuming too. Once it's gone it's gone :(

A bit over the top to be sobbing OP!

Did you realise they were renovating? A friend of mine popped round to introduce himself to the young couple who moved into the 30s semi just up from his; casually asked if they'd be doing any work and that he'd be more than willing to take any fittings or features off their hands if so. He's just had all their original stained glass bay windows and several doors.

There should be protection against this sort of thing for a greater number of older properties. Agree with the custodian comment - heritage belongs to everyone and seeing properties as something the current owner can do whatever they like to is very short termist thinking.

I agree with this (although what's fretwork? I've never heard of it!)