Great grandma, 104, selling her childhood home after living in it for more than a century

22 March 2023, 11:19 | Updated: 22 March 2023, 11:36

Nancy 'Joan' Gifford, 104, from Somerset, has been living in the three-bedroom terraced house since she was two-years-old.

A woman has put her house on the market after moving into it more than 100 years ago.

Nancy 'Joan' Gifford, 104, from Somerset, lived in the property through the second World War from the age of just two-years-old.

Her family bought the house in the small village of Street for only £200 in 1921, which is the equivalent of around £10,000 today.

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Now, over a century later, Nancy is a great grandmother and the same property is valued at £169,950.

Her son John, 79, still lives in the village with his mum and said: “When I was a youngster, there were so many lovely families that lived along the road, and we all knew each other.

“The times we had as children were fantastic, going across the fields, jumping over ditches, bird nesting, and swimming in the rivers, so many things children don't do these days.'

“Back in the day most children our age knew everybody, and we all had an open house, and it was fine to leave your door on the latch.

“We were all poor, but everyone was happy.”

Built in 1882, the property originally featured a communal well for the entire road with an outdoor toilet and tin bath.

Nancy went to school in the village and even met her husband Bert while walking to the town of Glastonbury during the mid-1930s.

Bert whistled at Nancy and her group to catch their attention and the rest is history, with the couple marrying in 1939.

Unfortunately, Nancy is now moving out of her childhood home due to declining health and will be moving into a nursing home in nearby Glastonbury.

Jack Bartram, the manager of Holland and Odam estate agents in Street, said: "Buying and selling houses is the day job for us, but every so often you stumble across a wonderful story, and Mrs Gifford's is one of those.

"There aren't many who live to the great age of 104, let alone have lived in the same house for 102 years."

He added: "That house must hold so many lovely memories for Mrs Gifford and her family, but now, after more than a century, it's time for another family to make some memories."