A UK woman has spent her entire life in a house she bought for 250.
Elsie Allcock was born on June 28, 1918, in a two-bed terraced house located on Barker Street in Huthwaite.
According to The Sun, Elsie’s father, who worked as a coal miner then, rented the house in 1902 for seven shillings and sixpence.
At the time of her birth, George V was the king of Britain. Since then, she has witnessed two world wars, the reign of four kings and queens, and 25 prime ministers while living in the same house.
Elsie is the youngest child of her parents with four elder siblings. She was 14 years old when her mother passed away after getting sick with pneumonia.
She married a man named Bill in 1941 when World War II was still going on.
While talking to the outlet, Allcock said, “My mum, Eliza, died when I was just a teenager, so I stayed to look after my dad. I was close to my dad. We made so many memories together in our house. I used to cook for him and care for him. He wanted me to keep the house as it held so much emotional value for him.”
“When I and Bill got married, we just stopped here and never left. I told him I love this house and I will never leave it, and he understood me. He cooperated with me in every way possible.”
She also said that Bill loved her so much and respected her decision to never move elsewhere.
“My dad died in 1949 and we finally bought the house in the 1960s. The landlord offered the home — now worth £75,000 — for £250.”
She continued, “We didn’t have £250, so I went to the council and asked for a loan. They agreed, and the house was ours.”
“The first thing we did was have a bathroom put in to replace a tin bath. We kept the outside loo — it still works. Very little has changed.”
She told the outlet that she loves her house and wouldn’t leave it till the day she dies, “I wouldn’t have been happy anywhere else. This is my home, and it means everything to me. I could make my way round it in the dark.”
The 104-year-old woman has two children, six grandchildren, and twenty-nine great-grandchildren. Elsie’s husband Bill died in 1996 at the age of 79.
Her family also talked to the outlet and agreed that Elsie wouldn’t leave her ancient house as she could not live anywhere else.
Her 75-year-old son, Ray, told The Sun, “This house is everything to her. She will never leave this house that holds so much importance in her life. She just loves it — and it’s full of memories.”
Ray’s wife and Elsie’s daughter-in-law, Pat Allcock, who’s 79 years old, said, “The house is the focal point for the entire family.”