Georgian 17-room mansion: £60 to you

For first-time buyers struggling to get a foot on the property ladder, it represents a godsend. The mansion is 300 years old, has 17 rooms, sits in nearly three acres and is valued at £650,000. In September, the front door key will be handed over to a new owner for just £60.

That person will be the winner of an extraordinary competition. The present owners of the house on the banks of the River Ouse near Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, have decided to offer it as a prize to help finance their retirement and raise money for charity.



Alf Overy, 66, and his wife Kath, 62, have lived in the Old Parsonage for a quarter of a century. They put it on the market last year but it failed to sell, as would-be buyers told them they could not afford the asking price. So the couple decided to give all comers a chance with a £60-per-entry online competition which, in the style of spot-the-ball, challenges participants to look at a doctored photo of the property and guess where a missing shadow should fall.

The house, constructed during the reign of George I in around 1725, boasts an entrance hall, wine cellar, butler's pantry, study, conservatory, sun room and master bedroom with a traditional cast iron grate. In the 2.7-acre grounds, the outbuildings include an old coach house and a former old parochial hall which has more than 60 square metres of internal space. The neighbourhood has a village, primary school, pub and bird sanctuary.

Overy, who has taken advice from lawyers and a professional fundraising firm, said: 'There are people out there who are trying to get onto the property ladder but it is very difficult. The competition gives someone a great opportunity and we hope whoever wins the house will gain as much pleasure from living here as we have.'