Mystery over 'strange little house' with no door near Coventry rail lines

[dutchman]

The house has been boarded up and covered in graffiti for decades



The mystery over who owns what locals describe as a "strange little house" beside railway lines in Coventry has been solved. For years residents have wondered what the story was behind the property on Albany Road in Earlsdon.

It has been boarded up for decades and is situated right next to the railway bridge as you enter Earlsdon. The property is currently covered in graffiti and posters for long-lost events.

A trainspotter's dream property, it is a skinny structure with a slanted roof and faded green and cream exterior. It appears almost as if it has been cut in half.

There is currently a lot of development going on around the house, but the derelict building has been left untouched. It was once attached to a car showroom, which was then turned into a carpet store.

Most Coventry locals won't ever remember the house being occupied and there is a reason for that. It is classified as a disused property and is too close to the railway lines to be in use.

Posting on Coventry's Sitting Rooms of Culture Facebook page, local resident Mary Courtney wrote: "This strange little house with the steeply slanted roof looks like a Su Mo painting. It has never in my memory been occupied. I wonder what its story is."

Eagle-eyed residents spotted that the property appears to have no door. Upon closer inspection, the door is nestled behind graffiti, but Ms Courtney commented: "The House with no Door sounds like the title of a book!"

Network Rail cleared the mystery up when CoventryLive approached them to find out more. The house was actually bought by the network at the turn of the century.

A Network Rail spokesman explained: "The property on Albany Road was purchased by Network Rail’s predecessor Railtrack around the turn of the century due to its very close proximity to the railway. Like many disused lineside buildings, it remains on our property portfolio. There are no immediate plans for the plot at this time.”

So now you know, if you are driving past the 'strange little house' on your way into Earlsdon, it looks to remain that way for some time.

[dutchman]

I've always assumed it was used as a stockroom for the neighbouring garage?

The presence of a burglar alarm on the frontage suggests it was in commercial use of some sort.

Update: It was apparently a shop selling burglar alarms!