We bought this 150-year-old house for £495k – then found hidden room

Property enthusiasts often face a pivotal decision between the allure of new-builds and the enchantment of older homes. While both options present unique advantages, it’s the charm and character of period properties, with their original features, that captures the hearts of many.

Becky and Chris Quirk had settled nicely into their renovated new-build home when the prospect of owning a historic house became irresistible to Becky. It was the sale of a Victorian gem on Manchester Road – a locality she’d long admired – that compelled the couple to seize the moment and make an offer.

In October 2022, the Quirks acquired the five-bedroom semi-detached abode in Swinton, Salford for £495,000. They embarked on a journey of renovation, crafting their dream home one step at a time and during this labour of love, discovered a hidden room.

In a conversation with the Manchester Evening News for the ‘Where I Live’ seriesan insightful weekly chat with different Greater Manchester residents about their housing experiences Becky, 36, reflected on her life in Swinton.

Mum-of-two Becky said: “I bought my first house when I was in my early 20s. Then I met Chris and we got married, had two kids and then we just kept outgrowing our houses”, reports the Manchester Evening News.

“Our last house was a new-build which we absolutely loved, but I’d always really wanted an old property – not so much my other half though, he loves a new build as they’re straight forward. I’d always had my eyes on the houses on Manchester Road, I’ve always been intrigued and wanted to look inside because they are so old.”

Around three years ago, a house came on the market and Becky couldn’t resist the urge to view it. “We’d not long renovated the new-build, we’d just put an extension on the back so we weren’t actively looking to move,” she said.

“But as soon as the opportunity came up to buy it I just jumped at it.”

“As soon as we walked in I knew I wanted it. The owner had had it for 30 years but never lived in it, but over the years he had patched it up to a good standard. Whilst there was still a lot of work to do, it wasn’t too much and it wasn’t too overwhelming. My husband said we were mad for wanting to start again but I really wanted it.”

In October 2022, the couple took the plunge and bought the Victorian house, built in 1877, and immediately began renovations. “As soon as we got the keys we just wanted to get in as soon as possible. We didn’t know whether to rip it all apart and start again or just do it in stages and focus on making some areas liveable so we could get in quick, so that’s what we did,” Becky recounted.

“We concentrated on the ground floor first. I wanted to knock the wall through between the living room and the kitchen as I wanted to make a big space that we could live in and be able to have all our family round. That was one of the biggest jobs.”

Becky continued: “Then there was another fireplace where my oven currently is, and that was another huge job trying to pull that out because all the dust was just horrendous. After that, one of the hardest jobs was trying to level the floor, it took them weeks to get it completely level.”

The Victorian house has six floors, each with their own little quirks, including a secret room which the couple uncovered whilst renovating. “Upstairs on one of the floors there was a small cupboard, but when we knocked on the wall it was a stud wall. Chris put his hammer through it and there was a hidden room behind it,” Becky revealed.

“I was so excited as I thought we might find something in there like an old newspaper or letters but there was nothing. We’ve made a big bathroom out of it now though. Our neighbours actually said to us when we bought this house ‘have you found the hidden room yet? ‘ And that was it. They must have found the same thing.”

Most recently, the pair have converted their cellar into a dance room for their daughters as well as adding a cinema room and bar. “The cellar has been a massive job. It had a bomb shelter built in it from the war,” Becky said.

“We’ve now put a dance studio in for our 7-year-old daughter. Last year we went to Florida to compete at the Dance Summit and her team won first place, so we promised her when we moved into our new house we would make one of the cellar rooms a dance room.”

“We’ve also put a bar and cinema room down there. It’s a space that we thought we would use but now it’s done we actually use it a lot more than we anticipated. The girls absolutely love it down there.”

Discussing the interior design of their home, Becky revealed: “I wanted to keep the character of the house and go for a traditional and timeless look rather than modern. I didn’t want to strip everything out so I’ve still got some original tiles, wonky ceilings and all the original architraves around the top, and we’ve kept the original fireplaces.”

“I love our high ceilings. I’ve been able to buy a 10-foot Christmas tree for the living room. I love how much space the house has allowed me to give the kids as well, the garden is a lot bigger than we’ve ever had before, and we’ve been able to give them a dance room.”

Becky shared their future plans, noting that they are refurbishing their home at a leisurely pace. “We’re just doing the rest of the house up gradually now because of time and money, we’ll probably still be doing this for the next 20 years,” she explained.

“We still want to be able to go on holiday with the kids and do nice things in the meantime. It’s not worth killing ourselves over getting it all done at once.”

She added, “I don’t think I could put myself through moving again, so I really hope this is our forever home. We’re all really happy here and it feels really homely. I was worried because we’d only had new builds but within a week of living here it felt like home. Hopefully we don’t have to move again but never say never.”

During a tour of their abode, Becky described the layout: “Coming in through the front door there is a small hallway. If you take a left and go past the stairs, the first door on the left is a living room which we tried to make quite cosy. Then across the hall is the kitchen living space which is now one big room. To the left is the kitchen area and to the right is the living area. There’s a downstairs toilet on the opposite side which we put in ourselves.”

“Then you come back on yourself and there’s a secret door in the hallway that leads down into the cellar. You go down the steps and to the right is the bar and cinema room. We’ve actually called this space the meet room because that room was where they used to prepare the meat so it was actually called the meat room but we’ve done a play on words as it’s where people now go to meet to socialise. To the left of the cellar is the dance studio where the kids do their dance practice.”

Becky continued: “Something I love about the house is it’s got little levels as you go through it. So back on the ground floor you go up the stairs and there is a level half way where the bathroom is, and a seating area in front of a stained glass window which is a bit quirky. Up the rest of the stairs is where my bedroom is and where the two girls’ bedrooms are. I put my washer and dryer on that floor as well because it saves me taking up space downstairs and it’s loads easier not having to carry everything down.”

“Then upstairs again is the bathroom which was originally a small cupboard. Then at the very top of the house there’s another two bedrooms which are our guest bedrooms and a wardrobe space. If you count the half floors and the cellar then there are six floors, it’s really unique. The staircase just keeps winding up the house.”