Saving Seven Pines - Why We’re Raising Awareness for the Abandoned Mansion
Some things are better left untouched. Unfortunately, that isn’t always a possibility. Some of our favourite buildings are the ones with a lot of history, the ones that haven’t been lived in for some time. Seven Pines mansion in Virginia Water was abandoned by its previous owners, Bryan Forbes and his wife. When Forbes passed away in the house in 2013, his wife left the house and it has remained empty to this day. What’s so special about the mansion however is the way that memory is preserved - although empty, it remains almost immaculately furnished. Or at least, it was. Due to the building’s abandonment gaining widespread, mainstream attention throughout the internet, people have continued to arrive at the building and break in. Such break-ins are recorded and uploaded to YouTube for the world to see, incentivising others to do the same. Parties have been held in the mansion, and unfortunately the result is that the inside has become trashed over time. Electricity is still being fed to the mansion, so that only continues to draw more people to it. While it’s unfortunate that there doesn’t seem to be anything being done about the prevalence of the videos on YouTube, Hughes Group are looking to act.
Because the mansion had been left in its original state, it’s been made incredibly easy to gain access through the windows. Hughes Group are planning a restoration project to barricade the windows in order to prevent people from entering unauthorised. We’ve since secured the building and are planning on fitting the windows with steel shutters, ensuring it’s impossible for unwanted guests to enter the building in the future. With this project, we wanted to bring this issue to light - this historical building is being wrecked over time thanks to people breaking in without permission, and in doing so, inviting others to do the same. The inside of the building is covered in rubbish and it’s only a matter of time before the historical beauty and uniqueness of the mansion is lost. Seven Pines has become something of a Virginia Water landmark, lost to time - at Hughes Group, we’re determined to see that it remains protected, at least until such a time where the future of the building is decided. The services we can provide to protect the building and restore parts of it are all property management and maintenance services that can just as easily apply to a lived-in building. If you’re interested or find yourself in need of any property services, commercial or domestic, get in touch with us on 01344 299889.
