Hoarded Homes

Hoarded homes are usually depicted as terrible, ugly things. This feeds the negative stigma that surrounds them.

Thanks to CloudsEndCIC, a community interest company that helps people with hoarding issues, I was given the opportunity to take a different view. As the images show, I was able to take a series of photographs that make a compelling and revealing comment on the issue of hoarding.

The conditions were very challenging, with little space to move around in and place my tripod, which was essential, as the house was very dark. I had to supplement the meagre available light with strategically placed flash heads.

The lounge: David sits on top of his vast collection of Mirror newspapers. He buys three copies of The Mirror every day and has done so since he was young and his parents were alive. Initially, he bought The Mirror for the Garth cartoon strip, which ended in 1997. After that, the pattern was established and he carried on buying them, adding them to the growing pile.

David's story in Professional Social Work Magazine

The kitchen: David is surrounded by a random collection of cleaning products. It's something of an antithesis that, despite the clutter and grime, he likes to buy cleaning products, favouring one brand in particular. In the midst of the clutter, he is growing hyacinth bulbs.

The back bedroom: David sits amidst a vast collection of Barbie dolls that numbers many hundreds, many still in their original boxes, acquired for their glamour and potential resale value. As the shoot progressed, he came increasingly chatty, revealing a sensitive, articulate and somewhat extrovert personality that was enjoying the attention.

The upstairs toilet: David uses two torches to highlight a huge mesh of cobwebs that had accumulated over the years. He was most insistent that I photograph the cobwebs, which he seems to regard as something of a natural phenomenon. 

David’s bathroom reveals a collection of Domestos bottles, Blue Crystal surface cleansers and pink Cameo soap bars. Although the house in general is fairly grubby, the bath is spotless and David himself clean and well-groomed. He takes great pride in his appearance. Testament to this is the row of freshly pressed shirts and jackets hanging in the foreground, courtesy of an external laundry service.

David with a framed photo of one of his screen idles.

David sitting on top of more Daily Mirror newspapers at the back of the house. The pile on the right hand side are ones he has agreed to have removed. Progress is being made!

Quite the poser.

 Lounge

Kitchen