AN UNEXPECTED tourist attraction in the UK is gaining popularity on both social media and TV.
The unassuming building has been seen on screen with the likes of Idris Elba, while it has also hosted Ralph Fiennes.
AlamyTourists come by to take pictures of the abandoned Georgian building[/caption]
AlamyPeople can currently go inside the building which is hosting an art exhibit[/caption]
Work by Bulgarian artist Christo is on show inside the abandoned houseGetty Images – Getty
Plenty of people have probably walked past the house at 4 Princelet Street, in London‘s Spitalfields, without batting an eyelid.
However, the abandoned Georgian home is growing in popularity among visitors, who are drawn to its faded red door and window shutters with star shapes cut into them.
Instagram account catch.photos shared a picture of someone walking past the house, which one follower said “looks like an album cover”.
Another Insta shot of the property, shared by account londonafterlockdown_ prompted someone to comment: “Feels like you’ve stepped back in time.”
The house has a fascinating history, although it is probably best known from when it featured as a safehouse in BBC drama Luther.
It was also seen on the big screen in 2013 when it featured in Ralph Fiennes-directed film, The Invisible Woman.
However, long before it was used a filming location, the house was owned by a brewery boss called Sir Benjamin Truman around 300 years ago.
Since then it has been home to silk weavers, Polish bootmakers, tailors and Bangladeshi migrants who would help to establish the city’s famous Brick Lane curry houses.
Mail Online also claim that a violent family argument took place at the property during the 1850s.
They claim “a labourer and his wife were both injured in the row, which resulted in a trial at the Old Bailey”.
However, the house has since started out where it once began after it was bought for more than £4million by the Truman Brewery in 2016 – the company left over by original owner, Sir Benjamin.
However, instead of brewing beer, as their name suggests, they hire out spaces for events, among other things, including 4 Princelet Street.
For anyone who’s walked past the property and wondered what it’s like inside, now is their opportunity, with global art gallery Gagosian hiring out the home for an exhibit of work by Bulgarian artist Christo.
The exhibit will run from October 6-22 and is open daily from 10am-6pm.
Kay Pallister, of Gagosian, told Mail Online: “Gagosian shows artists in some of the most beautiful contemporary architectural spaces in the world but for this new series of projects, Gagosian Open, we searched for locations where we don’t usually exhibit.
“This was an ideal choice as the area has such a rich history of communities over the centuries and is still a significant hub for so many artists working today.
‘The house itself has somehow managed to escape bombing, demolition or gentrification.”
There are plenty of other UK properties that have become popular with tourists after being left abandoned, including a hotel in Wales in which John Lennon and Yoko Ono once stayed.
The Corbett Arms in Tywyn is a Georgian, Grade II listed building and urban explorers have been surprised to find that the electricity inside still works.
A piano is one of a number of expensive items that have been left unattended in the property.
Elsewhere, the village of Tyneham in Dorset was also left completely abandoned, with tourists able to explore what is basically now a living-museum.
It became known as a “lost village” during World War II when all 225 residents were displaced to make way for a military training camp.
Visitors are able to explore the school, church and homes left over by the residents.
Similarly, the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain has stood empty for close to 80 years, for the same reason.
To this day, the British Army still uses the village to train.
But tourists have been allowed to flock back to the village for one day every year on red open-top buses.
Meanwhile, this UK attraction has been compared to New York City by tourists.
And this natural phenomenon happens in autumn and winter in the UK – this is where you can see it.
AlamyAn episode of Luther was previously filmed at the property in London[/caption]
AlamyThe building can be found at 4 Princelet Street, in London’s Spitalfields[/caption]