A bungalow in Colwyn Bay that became the target of online ridicule after its Rightmove listing circulated on social media has drawn a defence from neighbours who say the home and its late owner have been unfairly maligned.
Photos of the three-bedroom property on Llanelian Heights showing an overgrown front garden, a polka-dot garage door, a distinctive letter box and signs of damp and mould prompted commenters on forums to brand it the "saddest bungalow in Britain" and to trade cruel speculation about the former resident. Neighbours told the Daily Mail that the house had been owned by an elderly, eccentric man whom they remember fondly and that the trolling has left them upset.
Residents identified the late owner as Ken Marsden and said he had once tended the garden carefully and was a familiar figure on the street. "We used to wave as we drove past and saw him on the front. Yes he was a bit eccentric but aren't we all," one neighbour said. "People these days just make me sick. They are just so nasty."
Another neighbour said Marsden could be "a bit difficult at times but nothing more than that," adding disbelief that strangers would criticise him. A delivery driver who works in the area recounted a local anecdote in which a passer-by accidentally rested an elbow on the bungalow's fence; according to the driver, the householder told the man to "get off my property" and then carried on chatting peacefully. "I think it just little things like that, which set the rumour mill running," the driver said.
The property is marketed at £210,000, below the most recent average for the Conwy area, which the notes say is about £244,762. The Rightmove photographs prompted comments that the bungalow was a "time-warp" and criticism of interior features, while others suggested the structure has "good bones" and could be a reasonable investment with paint and refurbishment. Some posters compared aspects of the house to children's television characters and made unkind references to mould seen in one room.
A Google Street View image from 2022 shows the bungalow with a much tidier front garden, underscoring neighbours' accounts that its condition has declined since the owner's death a few years ago. Locals suggested the property's seaside location makes it suitable as a holiday home or renovation project for the right buyer.
Residents expressed disappointment that online commentary had focused on mockery rather than the human story behind the house. "It's a bit of a shame because I think the house became too much for him in the end," one neighbour said. "It needs a few quid spending on it, but it could be a decent investment." The future of the bungalow now rests with the housing market and whoever decides to take on restorative work.