GUARDIAN readers have helped unveil the mystery surrounding the derelict cottage on Croxton Lane in Middlewich.

Reporter David Morgan was inundated with phone calls and emails from budding historians, keen to share their memories from the last 40 years.

On April 22, the Guardian printed a photo of the cottage taken by Jonathan Beech and appealed to readers to get in touch if they knew its history.

Alan O’Brien, from Northwich, reckons the home was lived in by tenants until 1963 when it belonged to a Middlewich farmer.

He says a law came into force that the farmer had to pay the Government if the property was occupied, so the tenants were asked to leave.

Nevertheless, Maxine Wrench, treasurer of Middlewich Clean Team, told the Guardian that her partner Andrew’s parents, George and Rose, also lived in the cottage in the late 60s.

George, who has now passed away, worked as a farm hand for the Smith family and lived in the left hand cottage (the property consisted of two homes).

The cottage appears to have been empty ever since but it has certainly caught the eye of people in mid Cheshire.

Helen Scott’s parents were in the process of buying the cottage in the early 70s but the contract was withdrawn at the last minute.

ICI, which is thought to have owned the cottage at that time, was willing to sell. The farmer agreed at first but changed his mind as he wanted the building to be used by farm workers.

Helen, from Northwich, who was 18 at the time, said: “Every time we go past that house, we think: ‘It’s such a shame that no one’s done anything with it’.

“It was a beautiful house 40 years ago. Ok, it needed updating but it could have been lovely and my mum and dad had the money to spend on it at that time.

“After that it started to fall apart – the windows, the roof – and now it’s just a shell.

“I pass it often and wonder what it would now look like had my parents purchased it.”

Then the cottage went up for auction in 1973. Guardian reader Dee Ackerley would have loved to have bought the property but thought the price would be out of her reach.

She added: “I would drive past a couple of times a week. I really liked the distinctive house.

“I would have loved to buy it and if the property had been for sale rather than auction, I would have pursued the matter further.

“I assumed the auction had gone ahead and someone bought it but have never seen any signs of occupancy in all this time.”

Fred Langley, whose brother Alan lives in Lindisfarne Close in Middlewich, may have been the last to try and buy the house, about 35 years ago.

He wanted the cottage as his marital home and to run his heavy goods business.

But after he was told he couldn’t live there unless he worked at the farm, he moved to Crewe instead.

If you have any memories of this cottage, comment on the story at middlewichguardian.co.uk