Social media can yield all sorts of surprises, and there’s always more to discover. However, one person had a shock quite unlike any other when they spotted a post from an account located thousands of miles away, showcasing the unmistakable front door of the home they grew up in.
Recounting the peculiar tale on Reddit, they said there was no doubt it was the same door as it was unique, having been hand-crafted by their uncle. The door itself is a light mint green shade, with a brass letterbox featuring a knocker, and a striking round stained glass window. It is encased by a darker green frame, also embedded with stained glass.
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Posting on Reddit, the user stated: “My parents moved house last year. The old house had a stained glass door made by my uncle.
“When they moved they were happy to part with it if the new owners were keeping it, but asked that if they ever got rid of it they could let my parents know, and they’d happily pick it up to save it from the skip. The new owners agreed and said they’d be keeping it.
“Fast forward a few months and the door has been replaced with a brown UPVC door and there’s a skip out the front full of all the original features from the house, so naturally we assumed they’d just binned it. We were all really upset.
“Until yesterday when I was scrolling Instagram and what should cross my feed but my parents’ old door, now in the United States and part of an architectural salvage companies catalogue!”
The door has found its way into the hands of Dead People’s Stuff, an antiques and design firm based in Oklahoma – over 4,500 miles away from the UK. And it’s on sale for upwards of £15,000, reports the Mirror.
The user added: “Now, we’re all just really relieved that the door survived and wasn’t thrown away like we thought, but also confused how it ended up there. Either the new owners sold it, or they were going to bin it and a workman saved it. Either way, it’s nice to know that it hasn’t been lost and hopefully someone else can get some joy out of it, but it’s absolutely mad to see the front door of my childhood home posted online.”
The post by Dead People’s Stuff clarified it had been purchased during a trip to the UK. It seems to still be in excellent condition, albeit possibly in need of a fresh coat of paint. Following the Reddit post, Dead People’s Stuff shared an update on Instagram, stating: “We thought we were just sharing a beautiful door… but this piece had a lot more history than we ever imagined.
“After posting it, the son of the original owners reached out to us and told us this entryway lived in their home in England. The wood door dates back to the 1930s, and the stained glass was handcrafted by their uncle around 2005.
“His mom sent us these photos of it in its original setting and honestly, we’re just so grateful for the history and photos they’ve shared with us. We’ll make sure that when it finds its next home, its story lives on with it.”
The Reddit user also offered some updates. In one, they stated: “I just want to quickly clarify – none of us are mad about it going to the US, and we don’t want it back. We’re all just genuinely thrilled that it survived, and we want someone to love it as much as we all did. The best future for it is that it occupies the backdrops of someone else’s memories like it does ours.”
In another, they mentioned they weren’t troubled to discover the door is listed for sale at $20,095.63 after tax (slightly more than £15,000). “It’s hand-made, one-of-a-kind, and if someone’s willing to pay it then they’ll probably love it,” they remarked. “It’s a shame that it’s been removed from a working-class home and will no longer be enjoyed by people in the village walking past it, but that’s not the new seller’s fault.”