Sadly earmarked for demolition, this charming Victorian beauty in Connecticut is awash with captivating historic treasures, from storied antiques to beguiling old photos. Acclaimed urbex photographer, Bryan Sansivero was fortunate enough to gain access before the abandoned property meets the wrecking ball, that's if it isn't saved at the eleventh hour, of course. Care to take a look around? Click or scroll for more...

Though it's partly obscured by trees and overgrown shrubs, the house appears to be in decent shape from the exterior, its white clapboards looking pristine in the autumn sunshine. Built sometime between 1860 and 1880, it boasts a number of gorgeous period features, including a prettily framed ocular window and an attractive porch with beautiful vine-pattern corner post brackets on which an ominous demolition application has been taped.

After entering the property, the first room you come across is the parlour. An ornate Victorian upright piano takes pride of place in the dishevelled space. A veritable time capsule, the room is littered with a variety of evocative items, including numerous aged books, antique furnishings and ceramics, plus a bowler hat and an American flag attached to a pole topped with a bronze eagle finial.

The corner sideboard is peppered with several intriguing objects that give clues to the interests of a former resident. There's an Art Deco wooden Emerson radio from the 1940s, along with several volumes of historic encyclopedias, including the Library of Universal Knowledge and Art & Artists of Our Times, as well as a torn Victorian sentimental lithograph print showing a girl and her dog.

A print of a debonair Victorian gentleman, who could be a relation of the owner, hangs above the piano. The titleholder of the house comes from an illustrious family of English origin whose lineage goes back to the Great Puritan Migration of the 17th century, his ancestors having arrived in America back in colonial times.

The next room you come to is the kitchen, which is in a terrible mess. The countertops and floor are bestrewn with all manner of debris. Old crockery, discarded clothing, vintage household products and even a wooden barrel are scattered across the space. The wooden mid-century fitted units aren't overly shabby and simply need sanding and varnish to get them looking brand new.

What could very well be the home's dining room is up next. Like several other rooms in the house, it features chintzy wallpaper and fine built-in cabinetry, which is likely to date from around the time the property was constructed. The corner cabinet contains some wine, sherry and cocktail glasses together with a collection of vintage figurines.

On closer inspection, you can make out a number of Christmas decorations, including a Coca-Cola Santa Claus ornament – it turns out the owner's late father was a salesman for the soft drinks company. There's also a decades-old Carmen Miranda doll – figurines of the Portuguese-born Brazilian star, who famously donned a hat decorated with fruit, were super-popular back in the day.

Moving on, you come to what looks like a sitting or TV room. Instead of floral wallpaper, the walls here are covered with wood panels. There's a walker in front of a comfy armchair and a photo of a lady wearing what appear to be judicial robes. Other items of note include a pair of riding boots and a rustic-style floor lamp.

This space probably served as a writing nook. A handsome bureau bookcase most likely dating from the 19th century stands elegantly in the corner. If you look very closely, you can just about discern an old ink well and partly filled bottle of bourbon judging by the shape of the container and the colour of its contents.

Now let's take a look at the bedrooms, of which there are four. First up is the absent owner's former bedroom (according to public records, he is still alive but lives quite a distance away). He was trained as a dentist and there are numerous curious artefacts left over from his former profession. 

Sitting on the chest of drawers in the room next to a snakeskin bag there are books on denture prosthesis and crown and bridge reconstruction. There are also some rather macabre-looking false and extracted real teeth, which were no doubt used by the owner to practice his dentistry skills.

The next bedroom along, like the former, is decorated with chintzy wallpaper. A vintage handbag hangs on the doorknob and there's a top-quality chest of drawers with a bevelled mirror in the corner. Old family photographs and a china teapot rest upon the piece of furniture, which looks like it doubled up a washstand in the days before indoor plumbing.

Zooming in, you can see a tintype photo taken during the late Victorian era. The ladies in the picture are very smartly dressed in corseted silk gowns and it's quite obvious that the family were wealthy given their fancy clothing. Though the image in the background is blurred, the lady depicted is wearing an outfit from the Edwardian period.

Also in the room hangs a photo of one of the most distinguished members of the extended family. A prominent campaigner for women's voting rights, this inspirational figure was also a pioneering mountaineer, notable public speaker and the first woman to apply to one of America's most prestigious Ivy League colleges.

An antique double bed with an exquisitely crafted wooden headboard takes up much of the room. Assorted items are scattered on the floral duvet cover including another vintage Coca-Cola Santa Claus decoration and china teapot, and various other random odds and ends.

A photo of the most famous woman in the extended family, together with the owner's grandmother and two cousins or great aunts is placed on the bed. Based on what they are wearing – the clothing is Edwardian in style – the picture looks like it was taken sometime during the early 1910s or thereabouts.

Elsewhere on the bed is the owner's appointment letter to the US Navy as an ensign reserve officer, printed in stunning copperplate script, which dates from 1959. He would have been around 23 at the time. Like all naval appointment letters, it is signed by the Secretary of the Navy, who at the time was Thomas S Gates Jr.

A stylish 1960s or 1970s ladies suit jacket featuring a fetching green pattern has also been left on the bed alongside a homely patchwork quilt, which looks like it was handmade using discarded rags. These days, both pieces are likely to be worth a good sum of money given the popularity of well-preserved vintage items.

The photo hanging on the wall here was taken a lot later in the 20th century than the picture of the four ladies that lies on the bed. Judging from the style of clothing, it likely dates from the 1930s or 1940s. The woman depicted, who is standing on a bridge, is wearing a floral dress and riding boots. She might well be the owner's mother.

This next bedroom was probably used as a spare room for guests since it's a lot smaller than the others and contains a more humble single bed, which nevertheless looks to be of fine quality. Like the bed in the previous room, it is covered in old family photos and other objects, including some books and several rolls of wallpaper bizarrely.

A photo of a bespectacled family member, possibly the owner's mother, has been placed here. It was captured at Loring Studios, which was established in 1957 in Hingham, Massachusetts, so the photo obviously dates from some time after this, possibly the 1960s or even early 1970s given the pussybow blouse the lady is wearing.

Just below it is a photo of a Gatsby-esque gentleman probably taken in the 1920s or thereabouts. He is dressed in summer attire, which to our eyes these days looks very formal, but back then was fairly ordinary, though the outfit could be his Sunday best. Note the high-waisted trousers, highly polished Oxford shoes and boater hat.  

In this photo of another well turned-out man, he is sporting a three-piece suit and newsboy hat, which were worn by men from the upper echelons of society for sporting activities during the early 20th century and were particularly favoured by motorists, golfers and other gentlemen of leisure.

Right next to the photo of the newsboy hat-wearing gentleman is one showing another dashing-looking man, plus a picture of the owner's grandmother, and in the top left-hand corner of this shot, you can see a snap of a family relative that is even older, possibly dating from as early as the late 19th century.

Next up is the bathroom. Its colour theme would be called millennial pink these days, though it's likely the last person who lived here was the owner's mother, who passed away in the late 1990s and the room, therefore, would have been decorated some time before that, most likely during the 1980s or even the 1970s.

Atop the bathroom cabinet, there are various toothbrushes, some false teeth and products dating from the 1990s and before. They include a bottle of McKesson Boric Acid, Arm & Hammer baking soda for teeth whitening, a tube of Ultra Brite toothpaste, a Scully Super Seal nozzle kit and a bottle of Flex Balsam shampoo.

The last bedroom you come across in the house looks to be the master as it's the largest of them all. Quintessentially Victorian in style, it features an antique dressing table complete with an oval-shaped mirror, a classic rocking chair and other items such as a vintage suitcase, old books and several apothecary bottles. There's also a trilby hat hanging off the mirror.

Looking more closely at the dressing table, you can see a pair of spectacles, which look like they've lost their lenses, along with a battered leather wallet and bag, and can make out some of the titles of the books placed there, including astronomy classic A Study of the Sky by Herbert Alonzo Howe, which was first published in 1897.

The room's closet is filled with clothing that is likely to have belonged to the owner's mother. A vintage fashion aficionado would have a field day rooting through it since some of the pieces including the floral shift dress hanging on the door look like they date from the 1960s and 1970s.

A copy of The Wooden Nutmeg antiques and collectables journal from 1978 has been tossed on the floor. The owner obviously had an interest in old things, so it's a mystery as to why so many antiques and other mementoes have been left to gather dust in the property, and might very well be destroyed if the demolition application is granted, though since the house is listed as part of a Historic District, it does have a chance of being saved for posterity.

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