3. Godalming, England’s Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom
Place: England’s Godalming
Year: Late 1800s
Price: $400,000
There’s an interesting history associated with this underwater ballroom that is deteriorating. This underground smoking club, known as the Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom, was situated beneath a lake. It was doomed, like everything on its surrounding estate, and had an aquarium on its roof.
@terrinakamura/Twitter Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom, Codalming, England
Whitaker Wright, a well-known felon who made his fortune by flouting bonds and committing other white-collar crimes, constructed Whitley Wonder. Wright ran away in 1900 when the pressure was mounting, but he was apprehended. He was tried by the Royal Courts of Justice four years later and given a seven-year prison sentence. Wright took his own life by swallowing a cyanide pill before the cops could remove him. Since this horrific demise, his estate has mainly been neglected.
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