An urban explorer has lifted the lid on what remains inside Rolf Harris’s abandoned mansion (Image: Getty)
An urban explorer has lifted the lid on what remains inside Rolf Harris’s abandoned riverside mansion — and one chilling find in the basement has left viewers stunned. The once-glamorous home, formerly worth more than £4million, now sits in visible decline — and has just failed to sell at auction again, with bids stalling at £1.52million. But it’s not just the falling price that’s raising eyebrows. A YouTuber known as Bearded Explorer ventured inside the property days before what would have been Harris’s 96th birthday — and what he uncovered deep inside the house has sparked a wave of reaction online.
On his channel, Colin admitted: “I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting to find what we did down there.” The property itself is still vast, stretching across 6,440 square feet with four bedrooms, a 45-foot living space, a 35-foot master bedroom, an artist’s studio, annexe and even a boat house. Yet signs of decay are now creeping in. Colin said: “The building is now starting to show signs of decay.
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“The home is now estimated to need between £1.5 and £2million just in renovations and building work to make it habitable again.”
Despite the scale and once-luxurious design, inspired by Harris’s childhood home in Australia, the property’s dark history continues to cast a long shadow.
Harris was convicted in 2014 on 12 counts of indecent assault and never worked again. Some of his offences were linked to the house itself.
Colin made clear the contrast was impossible to ignore, saying: “It is beautiful here. It really is lovely… a lovely place to live, but, sadly… there’s a lot of bad history that’s gone on here. Some of the crimes are allegedly actually have supposed to taken place here as well.”
But it was in the basement where things took a far stranger turn. While exploring the cleared-out property, Colin stumbled across a mould of a human head — believed to be of Harris’s late wife, artist Alwen Hughes.
Holding it up on camera, he said: “This is Alwen Harris’ female head. That’s his wife. That’s a bit creepy, isn’t it?”
A mould of a human head believed to be of Harris’s late wife, artist Alwen Hughes, was found (Image: YOUTUBE/BEARDED EXPLORER)
Clearly unsettled, he questioned why it had been left behind at all, adding: “I mean, it’s very strange, isn’t it? Like, why would you do that? Why would you want a a mould of your wife’s head? And why would you leave it here? And why would you leave it in the basement?”
Taking a closer look, he added: “Look at the eyes… that is creepy as you like, isn’t it?” He later summed up the find bluntly: “We found some weird things, haven’t we? I didn’t expect to see that in here!”
The mould may have been linked to Hughes’ work as a sculptress and jeweller, but its presence in the basement — long after the house was cleared — has only added to the eerie atmosphere surrounding the site.
The home’s future remains uncertain. Initially listed at £4million, the asking price has been slashed to £1.95million — yet buyers still aren’t biting.