Marshal Craig, 70, still lives in Clune Park, which has been virtually empty for years and looks like something from a post-apocalyptic film. Built in 1905 it is made up of 430 flats in rotting tenement buildings as well as a rundown church - all covered in graffiti and litter.
It was abandoned in 1997 and is now a ghost town and the target of arson attacks with some of the cheapest properties in Britain - in 2020 one flat sold for 6K. The estate in Port Glasgow in Inverclyde was privately owned but Inverclyde Council has bought more than half the properties and wants to demolish the lot.
Marshal says he is one of just five people left there but has no plans to leave - claiming it is ‘’idyllic’’. The retired forestry worker said: “I’ve lived here for 20 years all in all and four years in this particular house.
‘’Quite frankly, I don’t want to move and I’m quite happy here. I know it’s rough sometimes and people come in and smash stuff but I’m perfectly happy here and I don’t want to leave. In some ways it’s quite idyllic. My house is built like a castle. The walls are thick and sturdy, there’s a nice view and no dampness. The only thing the view from my kitchen window is missing is a few palm trees!”
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The estate was largely abandoned in the late 1990s after the majority of the shipyard workers employed nearby moved out. Marshall says the remaining five residents all stay in the same area of one block. He said: “When I first moved here there was a lot more people, but now it’s pretty much empty.”
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“Now, out of the 480 families that would be able to stay here, there’s only five of us left holding down the fort. They’re great neighbours. I think I’ll be tying myself to the radiator if they make me move out.”
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Although Marshal loves his home the estate has become renowned for smashed windows, litter and fires. Urban explorers regularly visit the site to see the abandoned flats covered in graffiti.
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Inverclyde Council confirmed they they will be pursuing a compulsory purchase order in January to demolish the estate entirely and build 100-120 new homes.