Inside the home of the ‘King of the eccentrics’: Wacky inventions, torture devices and headless mannequins lie abandoned in property where notorious hoarder was laid to rest

• ‘Profession eccentric’ Jake Mangle-Wurzel died last August at the age of 83 after losing battle with skin cancer
• Mangle-Wurzel, of Huddersfield, rose to fame in the 1980s after appearing on various television programmes
• Self-christened ‘King of the Eccentrics’ left behind a cottage which is full to the brim with unusual inventions
• Fascinating footage shows urban explorer Daniel Sims investigating abandoned home months after his death

An urban explorer has searched the abandoned home of the late Jake Mangle-Wurzel who christened himself ‘King of the Eccentrics’ – and found it full of quirky inventions, headless mannequins and even a torture device.

Daniel Sims, 32, searched the local property in late December, four months after the former TV star died of skin cancer aged 83.

The 83-year-old who spent his life wanting to bring smiles to people’s faces reportedly died at Kirkwood Hospice in August surrounded by friends. 

The self-confessed ‘professional eccentric’ rose to fame in the 1980s appearing on various television shows, and was featured in a 2014 documentary about his life.

He lived in a cottage in Huddersfield, which he called ‘Wonderful Wurzel Land’, where he worked on his unusual inventions – including his prized car, which has a bathtub and toilet on the roof.

He had previously appeared on an episode of Hoarders, and had battled the local council to keep his overflowing possessions around his property.

Daniel, a fellow Huddersfield local, regularly shares his adventures into abandoned buildings on his YouTube channel, BeardedReality.

Urban explorer Daniel Sims has searched the abandoned Yorkshire cottage of the late Jake Mangle-Wurzel who christened himself ‘King of the Eccentrics’ – and found it full of quirky inventions, gadgets and torture devices. Pictured: the cottage

One of the most notorious items belonging to the late Mangle Wurzel is his car which has a bath and toilet on the rooftop

The ‘professional eccentric’ rose to fame in the 1980s appearing on TV shows and featured in a documentary about his life

Mangle-Wurzel, who died aged 83, lived in a cottage in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where he worked on unusual inventions

Daniel found an old head stone reading ‘Mary Ann, wife of Abraham Ramsden’, with a tree adorned with items hanging off of it

In Daniel Sims’ video he explores the property, which has been left abandoned following Mangle-Wurzel’s death in August

Pictured: Inside an ancient caravan on the site of hoarder Jake Mangle-Wurzel’s home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Pictured: Inside there are dozens of signs including one from a campaign to save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (right)

Pictured: Jake Mangle-Wurzel who died of skin cancer aged 83 last August and has left behind a house full of artefacts

In his latest video he explores the property, which has been left abandoned following Mangle-Wurzel’s death in August 2021.

As he enters the caravan next to the main house, Daniel finds an old head stone reading ‘Mary Ann, wife of Abraham Ramsden’, as well as a tree adorned with various items hanging off of it.

Daniel explains some local rumours about the eccentric – including his alleged seven marriages, the latter of which was apparently to his dog, and his home burning down in 2010.

A fire caused by a solid fuel burner he owned once destroyed the caravan he was temporarily living in back in 2015.

The fire in April 2015 destroyed the static caravan where he was living – five years after an inferno gutted the cottage that had been his home for more than 40 years. 

In 2016, Jake lost a two year legal battle and was ordered to clear up some of his treasured items by Kirklees Council who found that it was overspilling onto public land.

As he explores the remainder of the inventor’s home, Daniel is stunned to find a mannequin propped up and posed by the window.

The home appears to be stuffed with a random assortment of objects, including a police hat, road traffic signs

Interestingly, the eccentric also appears to have created a miniature wall out of cigarette butts – which Daniel notes appear to have been glued together ‘with his own phlegm’.

Pictured: The cottage was scattered with devices including what appears to be a home-made stockade holding a mannequin

Footage from inside Mangle-Wurzel’s home shows a bizarre collection of items including mannequins and kitchen appliances

Pictured: Not everything was caked in dust as this painting appeared to be in relatively good condition inside the cottage

As well as several statues and mannequins, the home was filled with several signs such as this one for ‘The Queen’s Theatre’

The hoarder was embroiled in a bitter two-year battle with Kirklees Council over the items that were spilling onto public land

In one of area of the cottage, the urban explorers found a makeshift headstone, dedicated to ‘Shattwell Shufflebottom’ (pictured left) while an eclectic collection of statues and figures such as a white car (right) are littered throughout the house

Bizarrely, in one room are dozens of pictures of the man, printed on sheets of A4 paper, as well as a handmade chicken clock. 

As he explores further into the main house, Daniel notes the inventor appears to have rigged up his own electrical system.

Mangle-Wurzel was known for his inventions. The cottage at Peats Ponds in Lindley Moor had its own drawbridge. 

There was also a water wheel that powered a giant hand up and down with two fingers raised as a greeting to any guests. 

Later, they find a makeshift headstone, dedicated to ‘Shattwell Shufflebottom’, another nude female mannequin, and a small windmill hand-crafted by the inventor.

Outside, Mangle-Wurzel’s car takes pride of place, with a toilet and cat statues on top – which Daniel describes as ‘bizarre’.

He says: ‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’

Jake Mangle-Wurzel was known for his bizarre inventions and creations such as this home made windmill found at his cottage

Among the items found at Mangle-Wurzel’s home were an old bike entangled in ivy, some scissors and some old sunglasses

Explorers found some wacky designs that had been left behind. Pictured: Another one of Jake’s fascinating inventions

There were several mannequins found at the home. Pictured: a mannequin and a makeshift headstone inside the cottage

Pictured: A sign which Jake once hung on a bridge offering his help and support to people who are feeling suicidal. It reads: ‘You don’t need to throw your lives away. I’ll show you (free) how to save yourselves’ and calls himself Jake the Rake

In the kitchen, there were notes written on the walls. Pictured: A reminder for a dentist appointment on the kitchen cupboard

Pictured: (left) a room in Mangle-Wurzel’s home lays strewn with random items and (right) a sign for ‘Wonderful Wurzel-land’

Elsewhere on the property, they find a mannequin that has been fashioned into a water feature, with a hosepipe running through its head and a wheel near the crotch to turn the feature on and off.

Various open coffins also line the area, including one filled with another nude mannequin.

‘The inventions he left behind were some wacky designs which he engineered himself,’ Daniel told Jam Press.

‘His car is well known and consists of various items strapped to it, such as the bathtub and cats and signs which he’d made.’

Daniel also points out a makeshift drawbridge as notable, as well as ‘random torture devices’ – including what appears to be a handcrafted stocks restraining device, which was used to hold a mannequin.

He said: ‘The atmosphere was just pure amazement of what had been left behind.

‘Seeing all the wonderful and wacky inventions and how Jake lived was a mind-blowing experience and there is nothing quite like it.’

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