The house where comedian Rod Hull died in 1999 has stood abandoned and derelict for over two decades, becoming an eerie reminder of his peculiar end. Hull, famous in the 1970s and 1980s for his anarchic performances with the puppet Emu, was 63 when he fell from the roof of his rented cottage, Shepherd's Cottage in Winchelsea, while trying to improve the reception for a Manchester United Champions League match.
The property has since fallen into disrepair, with parts of the roof caved in, doors and windows boarded up, and nature reclaiming the grounds with overgrown weeds and trees. Only the bracket on the chimney where the TV aerial once sat remains as a testament to the night of the accident.
The Fateful Night
Hull had rented the cottage from the National Trust for a nominal £20 per week. On the evening of March 11, 1999, he was with his 19-year-old son, Oliver, watching Manchester United play Inter Milan in a Champions League quarter-final. Hull became frustrated with the poor sound quality and decided to climb onto the roof to adjust the aerial, a task he had reportedly done before. Despite his son offering to go up instead, Hull insisted on handling it himself.
Oliver Hull later recounted hearing a thud, followed by a heavier one, and found his father lying on the concrete beside their greenhouse. Paramedics were called, but Hull was pronounced dead on arrival at Conquest Hospital, having sustained a fractured skull and chest injuries.
A Colorful Career and Later Years
Hull, along with his puppet Emu, was a prominent figure in British television during the 1970s and 1980s. Emu was known for its chaotic antics, famously attacking television hosts like Michael Parkinson and even snatching a bouquet from the Queen Mother. Despite his fame, Hull reportedly grew to dislike the puppet, feeling it limited his aspirations as a comedy writer.
After a period of financial difficulty, including bankruptcy in 1994 and the loss of his large Elizabethan manor house, Hull moved to the rented cottage. His second wife, Cher, noted that his death was likely to be in an unusual manner, stating, 'He had to go in some extraordinary way. Just getting sick and dying slowly wouldn't have been right for him.'
In his final years, Hull reconnected with his son Oliver and spent more time with his daughters and grandchildren, though his life was a stark contrast to his earlier success. His daughter Debbie Davidson reflected in a 2003 documentary that he seemed broken by the loss of his previous life and fortune.
Legacy of Emu
Following Hull's death, his son Toby revived the Emu act in a children's television series. In 2018, another version of the Emu puppet was purchased at auction by puppeteer Phil Fletcher, who praised Hull's skill as a puppeteer.
The National Trust, which owns the land where Shepherd's Cottage is located, indicated that plans for the property are part of a larger conservation project, and they do not typically erect memorials for former tenants.