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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Emily Retter

Treasure hunters: the enthralling, emotional inside story of a house clearance

Brendan O’Shea.
‘I will never, ever get used to going into someone’s house after their death’ … Brendan O’Shea. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian

A soup of stuff sits on the desk in front of me: remote controls, spectacles, a fly swatter, a medication box, a pebble paperweight inscribed with the owner’s name. Even false teeth, lying where they were discarded. This is personal yet familiar clutter: we all have our own version.

I am in the front bedroom turned office and music studio of a stranger. Every conceivable object seems to have migrated here, creating shaky piles of paraphernalia that encapsulate a life’s passion. There is some impressive retro recording equipment, keyboards, a horn, all coated with a thick layer of dust.

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