We all love a touch of greenery in our neighbourhoods—until it takes over an entire house.
For decades, one corner property in King’s Norton, Birmingham, became more nature reserve than residence.
Locals watched as the end-terrace home slowly disappeared under a wild blanket of ivy, weeds, and trees.
Now, after 40 years of overgrowth, the so-called “jungle house” has finally been cleared—and neighbours couldn’t be more relieved.
A House Hidden by Nature
The three-bedroom home was almost completely swallowed by nature.
From the street, only the satellite dish and front door could be spotted peeking through the leaves.
Even the chimney vanished under layers of creeping ivy.
The home’s elderly owner, now in her 90s, had long embraced a nature-first approach, refusing help to cut anything back.
Eventually, she moved into a care home, and the house was sold at auction for £150,000.
A Massive Clean-Up Operation
Since then, the transformation has been nothing short of dramatic.
The new owner, with the help of friends, took on the mammoth task of clearing the greenery.
Only one tree remains in the front garden now—where there was once a jungle.
They even had to replace the roof after ivy broke through into the structure, and repairs to the rendering were needed too.
From Urban Safari to Rental Flats
Vivienne Attwood, a neighbour who’s lived next door for four decades, summed up the sentiment: “It looks a hell of a lot better, that’s for sure.”
At one point, she joked it felt like living next to the West Midlands Safari Park.
“It was some gardening job,” she said. “But they did it quite quick really—I was surprised.”
The house has now been turned into two rental flats, not the dreaded house of multiple occupation (HMO) some neighbours feared.
“We’ve had no issues, so I think everyone is happy now,” Vivienne added.
“It used to cause problems with rats, but they’re gone too—for now at least. With these bin strikes, you never know.”
A Landmark for All the Wrong Reasons
For Vivienne, the overgrown house was part of daily life.
“My husband used to trim it back when it came too close,” she said, “but we moved in 40 years ago and it just kept growing.”
The previous owner did have someone trim it every so often—but stopped about 10 to 15 years ago, leaving nature to run wild.
“You’d get people stopping in the street, mouths open. It’s not every day you see a massive treehouse in Birmingham.”
The Woman Behind the Leaves
Despite multiple offers from volunteers who wanted to help trim the garden, the homeowner always declined. “She was stubborn,” Vivienne said.
“She liked nature.” And although that made the house something of a local landmark, it didn’t make things easy for the neighbours.
Everyone’s Breathing Easier Now
Another local, who preferred to stay unnamed, said, “You had to see it to believe it.
But it wasn’t nice for the direct neighbours, so everyone is pleased it’s been tidied up now.”
While many support urban wildlife and green spaces, this, they said, was a step too far. “You couldn’t even tell a house was there.”
A Happy Ending—With Room to Breathe
Today, the property stands as a neat and tidy building split into two flats—almost unrecognisable from its vine-covered past.
And for those living nearby, the change has brought more than just a better view.
It’s brought peace of mind, cleaner gutters, and the end of what one resident described as “living next to a giant treehouse.”