We solve 20-year mystery of Normandy house abandoned by Britons

The mystery of a home left abandoned by its British owners in a small village in Normandy has been solved after The Connexion investigated. 

The local mairie had put out calls to find the owners to give them a last chance to reclaim the property before it was claimed for the state and sold off. 

Courtils (Manche, population 2,020) is one of the final settlements before reaching the Normandy coast. Its main street is Rue du Mont Saint-Michel. 

The abandoned house is at number five, and its front door is covered with mould at the base. 

The windows are broken and overgrown with ivy. 

Inside, creased sheets are still on the bed, gossip magazines from the early 2000s are scattered on the floor, a bottle of milk with an expiry date in 2005 stands on a kitchen table. 

The floor is covered with mud and branches: crows and pigeons have long moved in. 

In June, mayor Bernard Lair gave a tour to local paper La Manche Libre in a last-ditch effort to locate the family. Few locals remember them. 

They were said to have “disappeared” in the first decade of the century, leaving the house in disrepair. 

The mairie had to step in for twice-yearly maintenance as the garden grew wilder. The situation is getting dangerous, Mr Lair said, citing the risk of roof tiles potentially falling on to the pavement. 

A new French law allows the mairie to claim ownership after 10 years of abandonment. If the owners did not come forward, Mr Lair said, he would list it as bien sans maître and put it on the market in six months. 

Efforts to make contact have been made by consecutive mayors for years. 

The mairie has a form the owners filled out when they bought the property, giving their names, age, birth dates, and last known UK address, as well as information about their children. 

However, the search for them was complicated by the language barrier. When we took up the case, we located the owners via UK websites and family contacts on Facebook. 

Owner found

They led us to Ian Bingham, 72, from Telford, Shropshire, a former social worker and owner of the house. He bought the property in April 1998 for £18,000 as a second home.

“It was a family house. We would sometimes go over en masse. My plan was to eventually live there.” 

He said the family – including his former partner Dianne Austins and four children – have vivid memories of their time there, including seeing the 1999 solar eclipse from the garden. 

Mr Bingham was a frequent visitor, going over most weekends. 

However, the dream soured when his relationship with Ms Austins, also a social worker from Telford, broke down. 

She was listed under ‘Dianne Bingham (Austins)’ in the form provided to the mairie but she has no ownership of the house, The Connexion was told. 

Mr Bingham disputed that he was the one who left the house in such a mess. “I didn’t leave in a hurry. 

My ex-partner was over there at that time and I can’t say why she left. I don’t know. I just never went back after we separated.” 

He was unable to remember the specific year that he left. “This house is, in some way, an emotional burden,” he said. Ms Austins declined to comment, although a source close to her said it was “a sad and difficult period of her life”. 

Mr Bingham confirmed he intends to speak to Mr Lair to resolve the matter, but did not say whether he would sell the property or give it to the mairie. 

The mairie estimates it is worth a maximum of €40,000, and requires renovation. 

Mr Lair’s secretary, Isabelle Bouquillon, said: “Thanks for your help and your interest in this affair, which has caused a lot of excitement. 

“We do not care what the new owners’ nationality is, but 80% of houses around here are Airbnbs, temporary stays, gîtes. 

“We are a small village so it would be better if they lived here. We would prefer a family with children enrolled at the local school.”