EXCLUSIVE – ‘You couldn’t pay me to live in the Omaze house – it’s a goldfish bowl’: Locals joke that the buyer of Grandmother’s £4.5 million lottery house ‘needs money for curtains’ because ferry passengers’ can see everything
A £4.5 million dream home won by a grandmother in a prize draw is ‘like a goldfish bowl’ with people able to see through bedroom windows from a passing ferry, MailOnline can reveal.
The beautiful house on the estuary in Fowey, Cornwall, was won by widow June Smith, 74, in a £25 Omaze raffle, but she put it up for sale after just one visit.
But Omaze’s description doesn’t mention the car ferry that passes dozens of times a day through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the six-bed home.
One resident who has lived in the area for 23 years said, ‘You couldn’t pay me to move in there, it would be like living in a goldfish bowl.
‘It has wonderful views of Fowey and the estuary, but that goes both ways. When you cross the ferry, you can see the bed and all the furniture through the windows.
A £4.5 million dream home won by a grandmother in a prize draw is ‘like a goldfish bowl’, according to locals
June Smith (pictured), 74, was given the keys to the luxury six-bedroom house in Cornwall in May, but she’s putting it up for sale
The property was said to be the biggest house prize ever to be given away in a draw in Britain and came mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. However, locals say it’s “like a goldfish bowl,” where people can see through bedroom windows from a passing ferry (pictured)
“And when the great china clay ships pass by, they must have a fantastic view.
“I don’t blame the woman for selling it, she won a prize and can do whatever she wants with it.
“I think she’s only been on one vacation, the cost of running it must be pretty outrageous too.”
In a nearby cafe, a restaurateur joked, “I hope whoever buys that restaurant has enough money to spare for a set of curtains.”
After the house – called Pieds Dans L Eau – was listed for £4.5 million on property website Rightmove, Ms Smith said she wanted to sell so the money could help her children and grandchildren ‘with the next chapter in their lives’ – after the family enjoyed one “magical” summer vacation together.
She added: “Winning this house has been an incredible experience, I still can’t believe it all happened to me, it still feels so surreal,” she said.
“I wanted to experience at least one family holiday here before I put it on the market.
‘We all came and stayed together and absolutely love the house and Cornwall – and my six grandchildren have certainly made the most of it.
Despite promising to “keep it for a while” and taking advantage of the built-in yoga studio, Pieds Dans L Eau has already appeared on the real estate website, Rightmove
(From left) June Smith’s son Rory Smith, June Smith herself, her granddaughter Lilian Smith, her daughter Katharine Smith, her granddaughter Nicole Bysouth-Smith, Rory’s fiancé Rebecca Swinn, and Rebecca’s mother Barbara Swinn
June Smith, 74, was handed the keys to the huge three-storey house overlooking the Fowey Estuary a few weeks ago in May, told how she named her children, then opened a bottle of red wine following her Omaze draw victory
‘The house is just amazing and it’s been a magical holiday that we will remember forever.
“I knew that winning this house would change the lives of my entire family, which is why I have decided to sell it now, as I want to use the money to help all my children and grandchildren with the next chapter in their lives .
“The money is going to make such a huge difference to all of us.”
The listing describes the house as ‘a striking, state-of-the-art waterfront home occupying an elevated position above the Fowey Estuary with uninterrupted, panoramic views’. The sale isn’t the first time a prize draw winner has made such a decision. .
Britain’s first Omaze winner, police officer Ian Garrick, from Mablethorpe, Lincs, did not falter when he learned that in November 2020 he had won a house worth more than £1 million in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire.
“I sold it as quickly as possible,” he told MailOnline earlier this year.
“I didn’t want to move across the country leaving friends and family behind, but it did change my life as it enabled me to take early retirement from the police force and build a solid foundation of financial security for me and my sons .’
Ian’s wife Julie had died of cancer five years earlier and he said the gift of more than £1 million gave him and his sons James, 32, Callum 24 and Nathan 21, a boost after years ‘in limbo’.
Widowed grandmother of six June Smith was given the freedom to live in the house, rent it out or sell it
Local estate agents estimate it can earn up to £7,000 a month from long-term rentals
The grandmother won the incredible property prize in an Omaze Million Pound House Draw
The listing describes the house as ‘a striking, state-of-the-art waterfront home occupying an elevated position above the Fowey Estuary with uninterrupted, panoramic views’.
The property can generate up to £14,000 per week from high season holiday rentals
The large sitting room has a double sided fireplace, cinema and snug room
June Smith also won £100,000 cash in the prize draw. She had only bought a £25 ticket in the draw
Mrs Smith lost her husband of 43 years, Ron, last year when he suffered a heart attack aged 74
Last April, NHS worker Catherine Carwardine, 60, from Wolverhampton, won a £3 million six-bedroom house overlooking Lake Windermere.
Prior to that, she and husband Chris had fostered children for five years in their five-bedroom home in Telford, Shropshire.
She revealed earlier this year that she rents out the property.
Meanwhile, operations manager Uttam Parmar, 58, from Leicestershire won a four-bedroom house in Cornwall with panoramic views of the Camel Estuary last August.
He and his wife Raki, 53, initially put the house on the market for £4 million but have since decided to keep the property as a holiday home.
Mrs Smith had tears of joy after winning the property as she revealed the last time she stayed in Cornwall was in a caravan and how her late husband, Ron, would have loved it.
Ron, to whom she had been married for 43 years, died last year when he suffered a heart attack at the age of 74. Mrs Smith has lived in her two bedroom detached house in Essex for 17 years.
She worked as a bookkeeper before having children, while Ron worked as an architectural designer all his life.