Fans of comic legend Frankie Howerd now have a chance to get their hands on his country estate for a knockdown price of £450,000 – almost half the original asking figure.
Wavering House has remained untouched since since Howerd bought it with his partner and manager Dennis Heymer for £19,662 in 1969.
The picturesque pink cottage still has the servants’ bells, but has no gas central heating or plumbing for a washing machine.
It is filled with a treasure trove of Frankie Howerd memorabilia, including the Up Pompeii star’s trademark toupee and false teeth.
And whoever snaps up the property will get first option to purchase the 4,000-piece strong collection of memorabilia, estimated to be worth £600,000.
The buyer will also be offered the chance to buy a 33 per cent share of the Howerd estate – including profits made by royalties – yielding an income estimated at £18,000 per year.
The collection includes 96 private interviews done with Heymer before his death that allegedly detail the private life of the couple.
Interviews also divulge which of their celebrity friends, like Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland, were having affairs.
Howerd’s close friend Chris Byrne, 42, who became Heymer’s civil partner in May, 2009, now owns the house since Heymer’s death late last year.
Byrne, who has lived on the estate since Howerd’s death in 1992, said: ”I’d like all the memorabilia and the royalties to go to whoever buys the house.
”The person who buys the house will get the first chance to buy the collection.”